


Duck and Cover

by GraySonOfGotham



Category: Batman - All Media Types, DCU, Red Hood and the Outlaws (Comics), Red Robin (Comics)
Genre: Acting, Alternate Universe - Bodyguard, Alternative Universe - FBI, Awkward Flirting, Awkward Sexual Situations, Bodyguard Jason, Disorganized Tim, Drug Dealing, Drugs, Famous Tim, Fluff, Humor, Hurt/Comfort, Kidnapping, Lightweight Tim, M/M, Manipulation, Model Tim, Modeling, Movie Star Tim, Mystery, Out of Character Tim, Second-Hand Embarrassment, Slow Burn, Undercover, lack of personal space
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-09
Updated: 2018-10-27
Packaged: 2019-07-08 07:21:49
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 29,226
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15925613
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GraySonOfGotham/pseuds/GraySonOfGotham
Summary: Jason is the new bodyguard of Tim Drake, movie star, male model, teen heartthrob.Jason finds it a personal insult to have been assigned to this specific mission to babysit the childish man. But it is an important undercover mission, as Tim Drake might be hiding some dangerous details about his personal life from his fans.Such as being in cahoots with a Spanish drug lord, acting as the drug lord's ambassador on American land.





	1. Mr. Todd and Mr. Drake

Jason stood outside a hotel room, a suite, to be more specific. He had been standing in that hallway for a while now, supposedly to “keep watch”.

He sighed loudly, knowing without a doubt what was happening behind the door he stood in front of.

_Timothy Drake was going to a party. It was not an uncommon occurrence. Timothy Drake went to parties on a near biweekly basis. And he usually had one or two body guards following him. Today was no exception._

_His body guard’s name was Jason Todd, a newly hired piece of muscle, highly recommended by one of his friends._

_And as usual, Tim Drake started the drinking while inside the limo, on the way to the party._

_“Mr. Todd, you want a drink? Don’t worry. I won’t tell anyone if you sneak a few drinks on the job,” Tim said, wiggling his eyebrows at Jason. “I know you want one. I’ll play bartender this one time.” He pretended to straighten his imaginary bowtie. “What can I get you today, sir?”_

_Jason threw him an unamused look and said nothing. It was not his job to interact with his client._

_“Mr. Todd!” Tim whined. “Why aren’t you answering me? If you don’t want a drink, just say so and I’ll make another one for myself.”_

_“I don’t want a drink,” Jason gritted out._

_“See? Was that really so hard?” Tim grinned._

_When he arrived at the venue, Tim got out of the car as fast as he could. He barely waited for Jason to get out as well. After they breezed past the paparazzi, with Tim smiling and posing as he went, as if it were a red carpet event, and made it into the club, Tim turned to Jason._

_“Mr, Todd,” Tim said. “You may have the next few hours off. Or, until I call you and tell you I’m ready to go, ‘kay?” He patted Jason’s chest twice._

_Tim started into the mass of people._

_Jason called after him. “Mr. Drake! How am I supposed to-”_

_“It’s Tim! And thanks!” Tim yelled back before disappearing completely._

_“-find you in this crowd,” Jason finished with a growl. He sighed and headed out of the crowded club from a side entrance._

_As he slipped outside, Jason looked around, making sure no one was watching. Then, he went deeper into the alleyway and moved a few alleyways over._

_He dug into his suit pocket and pulled out a phone. Looking around one more time, Jason dialed a number and held it up to his ear._

_He only had to wait a few moments._

_“Hello?” a deep voice growled._

_“Hey, Boss,” Jason said tiredly._

_“Todd,” Boss said. “You have anything new to report on 177?”_

_Jason sighed heavily, looking up at the dark sky. “Actually, no. Again, Boss, I don’t think Timothy Drake has any sort of relations to this Spanish drug lord you’ve been after.”_

_“It is not the drug lord I am after, Todd,” Boss said. “It is his American emissary. We must find this person before they decide to act and spread the drug lord’s range of territory into our country.”_

_“And you honestly believe it is this Drake kid?” Jason asked, a touch of exasperation in his voice. “I’m telling you, he’s way too stupid.”_

_“He is an actor, Todd,” Boss said flatly. “He acts for a living. He could be fooling ever Joe, Tom, and Bob out there, including you.”_

_Jason sighed. “It’s been three weeks. Don’t you think he would have slipped up_ once _by now? I’m with him every day.”_

_“Some people are very careful, Todd. Like you should be. Now get back to work.”_

_Jason sighed heavily yet again. He seemed to do that quite a lot. “Yes, Boss.”_

_“Good.” The line went dead after that._

_Jason shoved the phone back into his pocket and leaned against the wall of the alley, just looking up at the sky for a while. He could not imagine how, in any way, shape, or form, that Timothy Drake could be tangled in with the Spanish drug lord the FBI had been carefully tracking for the past year._

_Jason was not a bodyguard. Well, he worked undercover as a bodyguard, spying on Tim Drake for the FBI. Drake was suspected to be in cahoots with a dangerous drug lord in Spain, who wanted to expand his goods into America._

_But Jason just could not see it. However, his boss was convinced that Timothy Drake had something to do with it, so Jason had to stay and act as the man-child’s bodyguard, or more accurate, babysitter._

_Just then, his other phone started buzzing. Jason pulled it out. Speak of the devil._

_“Hello?” he answered._

_“Misterrrrr… Todd!” Came Tim’s high pitched, drunk voice. “How’re y-you on this fine night?”_

_“Sober,” Jason answered._

_Tim giggled on the phone. Jason could hear more giggles from the background as well. He frowned slightly._

_“Mr. Drake? Are you okay?”_

_“Fine, I’m f-fine,” Tim hiccupped. “But if you could bring me another cocktail, that’d be_ awesome _.”_

_Jason sighed yet again. “Anything else?” he asked dryly, just to humor Tim, who was definitely a lightweight._

_“I don’t wanna be at this party any-anymore,” Tim slurred. “Come pick me up.”_

_“Got it,” Jason said in a resigned voice. Bodyguard, babysitter, and cab boy, it seemed._

_Jason finds Tim sitting in the back, in a round booth, his arms around two girls. Several empty glasses sat on the table in front of them. Another girl politely slid past where Jason stood and into the booth as well._

_Jason cleared his throat loudly._

_Tim looked up. “Mr. T-Todd!” he exclaimed. “You’reeee here! Oh! These- There’re my friends!” He pointed to the girl on his left. “Rose… Rose… Rose Mary!” Then he waved his hand to the girl on his right. “An’- And this is P-Pashrish-Pa-_ trich _a!”_

_The girls giggled, but Jason was unamused._

_Tim pointed to Jason. “Ladies, this is my b-bodyguard, M-Misssster Todd.”_

_The girl that had not been introduced wiggled her fingers in his direction. Jason gave her a curt nod._

_“Let’s go, Mr. Drake.”_

_“T-” he hiccupped. “Tim. M’name’s Tim.”_

_Jason pressed his lips together tightly, glaring at Tim when he made no effort to leave. Finally, Jason waved to the girl on his left._

_“Excuse me,” he said. She scoffed, but got out of the way. Jason reached over and grabbed Tim’s arm. “We’re going now.”_

_Tim whined. “But ‘m not done having fun yet!”_

_“You have work tomorrow, Mr. Drake. I doubt you want to be more hungover than you already are,” Jason said._

_“Tiiiiim,” Tim corrected. He slid out of the booth, stumbling and leaning heavily on Jason to make his way through the people and out of the club._

_“Stand up straight,” Jason said. “And try to walk normally. Don’t want the paps to get pictures of your bad side, do you?”_

_Tim’s eyes widened. “You’re right,” he said. He stood ups straight, no longer leaning on Jason. He successfully made his way from the club to the car without tripping and falling._

_As he was climbing in, someone yelled, “Oh my god! It’s Tim Drake!”_

_Tim turned at the sound of his name. It was a girl who seemed to have just been passing by._

_“Hello!” Tim said with a smile and a wave._

_She screamed louder. “Tim! Can I- Can I get a picture?!”_

_Tim poked his head into the car. “You have a pen, Mr. Todd?”_

_Jason rolled his eyes and pulled a Sharpie from his pocket. Tim had asked for a pen from him several times in the past three weeks already, so he started carrying one. Tim took it. “Thanks!”_

_He approached the girl, the paparazzi snapping photos the entire time._

_“You want an autograph?” he asked._

_The girl gasped. “Y-Yeah!” She fumbled between her phone and her purse. “I don’t really have anything for you to sign…”_

_Tim laughed. “I could just sign your forehead.”_

_The girl gasped. “I know!” She reached to pull her shirt down, showing way more cleavage than publically appropriate. “Sign,” she demanded excitedly._

_Tim laughed again before uncapping his marker and signing his name in large, loopy letters. Then, she took a picture to with him._

_“Say,” Tim said, his drunken mind supplying idiotic ideas. “Wanna come to me hotel with me?”_

_The girl’s eyes widened impossibly. “Really? Yes!”_

_“Great, c’mon, let’s go!” He grabbed her wrist and started leading her to the car. Jason frowned when Tim came back, with his fan in tow._

_“Back to the hotel, Gerald!” he called to the driver. He turned back to the girl. “What’s your name, sweetie?”_

_“Sarah,” she said, looking flushed and nervous to be sitting by her idol. Not to mention, the drunken autograph on her boobs were pretty distracting._

_Once again, Jason wondered how Boss could think that Tim Drake could be part of an illegal drug group._

_Tim reached over, taking a lock of Sarah’s red hair, twirling it around his finger. “And how old are you, Sarah?”_

_“Twenty-eight,” she giggled._

_“Oh? And what do you do for a living, Sarah? Pretty girl like you, modeling?”_

_Sarah laughed, blushing further. “I’m a third grade teacher, actually.”_

_“And good with kids,” Tim said with a suggestive wink._

_Jason rolled his eyes. That idiot was five years younger than Sarah, and he was acting like he was older and more experienced._

_“Tell me, Sarah,” Tim said, licking his lips. “Are you a cat? Because I’m really feline the connection between us.”_

_Jason nearly threw himself out of the window, or die of second hand embarrassment._

_But Sarah thought it was adorable. “Ah, that’s so clever!” she said._

_Tim smiled smugly. “I’ve got a_ lot _more. I’m very smooth, you know.”_

_“Funny you can go from tripping over your words and feet to ‘very smooth’,” Jason muttered under his breath._

_If Tim heard him, he ignored it._

_When they made it back to the hotel, Jason had to deal with the uncomfortable flirting all the way up the elevator. Sarah leaned heavily against Tim, who could barely keep himself up, let alone someone else._

_Jason stood in the corner opposite them, eyeing the light fixtures and listening intently to the elevator music._

_When Tim got to his room, he opened the door and held it open for Sarah to go in first. He even had the audacity to bow. Oh, what alcohol can do to someone._

_Then, before disappearing after her, Tim turned to Jason. “Keep watch,” he said. “Make sure Tanya doesn’t show up before Sarah leaves.” He winked at Jason, then allowed himself to be pulled into the room by Sarah._

So that was where Jason stood now, outside the hotel room, waiting. He distracted himself by thinking about his mission.

His boss had been watching over Tim for a while now, but it was not enough, so he sent Jason to apply for the job of Tim’s bodyguard. Jason was reluctant to accept, but he did.

And from the first day that Jason met Tim, he did not know what Boss saw in the kid that made him suspicious.

Timothy Drake was an actor, having only recently gotten extremely popular in the past year. At twenty-three years of age, he looked a lot younger than that. Tim was short, an entire head and a half shorter than Jason. Jason could probably rest his head comfortable on Tim’s head, if he wanted, not that he did.

And that atrociously long haircut that was too short to be tied out of his face, but too long to be gelled back in any way.

And Tim was also crazy manipulative. He acted like a complete child, guilt-tripping people on a daily basis into getting what he wanted. Jason knew from the information Boss provided that Tim grew up without a mother and an absent father. His father was rich and the owner of Drake Industries, but Tim was not really raised by anybody.

Jason was honestly amazed that Tim lived past the age of eighteen.

Somehow, that clumsy idiot managed, with a lot, a lot of help.

An hour passed before the door opened. Jason peered back to see Sarah tiptoeing out.

She gave Jason a sheepish smile. She wore a shirt that was not hers. It must have been Tim’s, though it seemed to be a bit big for Tim too. She had a pink cloth in her other hand, the same color of the dress she wore earlier that night.

“Tim spilled wine on my dress and let me borrow his shirt,” she explained in a loud whisper. “He’s such a sweetheart.”

Jason raised his eyebrows slowly.

“He’s passed out over the bar, by the way,” Sarah said. “You might want to… I don’t know, help him clean up? I don’t really know what you do, sorry.” She winced. “I just don’t think it’s a good idea to leave him there.”

Jason grunted. “Thanks,” he said. “I’ll check on him.”

Sarah smiled, nodding at Jason once before dashing towards the elevator. Once she was gone, Jason opened the door to the suite and peered inside hesitantly.

Tim was so fucking messy.

There were clothes strewn all over the floor, as well as wrappers from candy bars, bags of chips, and some protein bars. An unopened bottle of wine was half sticking out from underneath the under the coffee table.

Jason made his way to the minibar. Tim was lying over the bar, just like Sarah said. He had a wineglass hanging lax in his fingers, threatening to drop and break. The electric blue lights over the bar faded into a deep purple then a hot pink. Jason sighed.

Tim had only been in the room for a week, and it was already a dump. Jason went over and resuced the wineglass, placing it back onto the bar. Then, he shook Tim’s shoulder.

“Mr. Drake,” he said. “It might be more comfortable if you get into the bed.”

“Murrr?” Tim lifted his head off the bar, blinking tiredly at Jason. “Mm, bed.”

Jason took a deep breath and went around the bar before pulling Tim up onto his feet with a groan. He had to walk awkwardly bent over because of how short Tim was compared to him.

He dragged Tim towards the bathroom. He let Tim slump onto the marble tiles of the floor.

“Get yourself cleaned up,” Jason ordered. “I’ll be outside.” He shut the door behind him and surveyed Tim’s room with disgust.

No, he would _not_ clean up after him. Tim was a grown man, he needed to learn some responsibility. Underwear hung from the closet doorknob. He could at least call housekeeping. A few crumbs on one of the pillows. Jason gritted his teeth and narrowed his eyes. Unable to take the sight anymore, he grabbed the nearest trashcan and went around the room, picking up all kinds of trash.

He tossed all of the clothes, regardless of dirty or clean, into a pile for Tim to deal with later. He brushed the crumbs off the pillow. Then, there was a knock on the bathroom door.

Jason stared at it for a moment before he headed over. He opened it slowly, just a crack to speak. “What?” he asked.

“Mr. Toooodd,” Tim whined. “I need help.”

“Are you decent?” Jason asked.

“Mm, yeah.”

Jason opened the door.

Tim was definitely not decent, and he was lying on the floor, looking up at Jason pathetically. His shirt was in the sink, and his skinny jeans were halfway down, around his knees, briefs also pushed dangerously low on his hips.

“I need help,” Tim repeated. “Can’t- Can’t get it off.” He kicked pitifully at the jeans.

“I’m not helping you take off your clothes,” Jason said firmly.

Tim pushed himself up a little more, eyes wide and his mouth pulled down in a small frown, pleading with his eyes.

“Are you a kid?” Jason asked dryly. “No.”

“But Mr. Todd,” Tim started. “I can’t. I need your help! Please help me.”

“ _No_.”

The brat had the audacity to start _tearing_ up. “It’s because you don’t like me, isn’t it?” he asked. “I knew it.” He dropped his head, and Jason saw two tears drop onto the tile floor.

Jason rolled his eyes up to the ceiling and stared at it for a long time.

“Nobody likes me,” Tim whimpered. “No one cares about me.” He reached down and tried pulling at his jeans again, but got nowhere at all. He made another sniveling sound, like a kicked puppy.

Jason felt bad, a little bit, but he knew very well that Tim was manipulating him. He did it all the time. Jason knew he should keep saying no. But he was tired and wanted to go to sleep. So he got down on his knees, glaring at Tim.

“Sit up,” he barked.

Tim immediately sat up, faster than a drunk person should be able to move. He stuck his legs out obediently, tears gone from his eyes.

Jason knew how Tim could be an actor, but still had no idea how he could possibly be part of a drug dealing ring.

When Jason finally pulled Tim’s skinny jeans off, Tim stood up and pushed his briefs down himself, kicking it away with a careless flick of his foot. He stood in front of the mirror, very much naked, blocking the door to the bathroom and frowned.

He pinched his stomach. “Mr. Todd,” he said slowly. “Do you think I’m fat?”

Jason did not answer, trying his best to not feel extremely uncomfortable while standing in a bathroom in front of another man, who happened to be stark naked, and tell him whether or not he was fat.

“You think I’m fat, don’t you?” Tim asked sadly.

Jason sighed for the umpteenth time that night. “No, you’re not fat,” he gritted out. “Your other job is literally a model.”

Tim smiled brightly. “Oh, yeah!” He turned towards the showers, squeezing past Jason. Tim paused right in front of him, pressed against him, between the sink and the wall. Jason tried to keep calm and not shove Tim away.

Tim put his hand on Jason’s chest and met Jason’s eyes sincerely. Jason felt himself going red, mostly from trying to keep himself from hitting the other man. But that would be the equivalent of abandoning puppies or stealing pushing from kids into mud or something.

“What are you doing?” Jason managed to ask.

Tim patted Jason’s chest twice. “I just wanted to say, Mr. Todd, I think you’re very good-looking too. If this bodyguarding thing doesn’t work out, you can always join me in modeling.” He nodded honestly. Then he headed towards the shower again. Jason escaped from the bathroom as soon as he could without running.

He practically slammed the door behind him, and leaned against it, taking deep breaths.

No matter what the Boss said, there is no way that idiot man-child is the ambassador for drug lord.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Welcome to my first JayTim story! This is going to be mainly fluff, so nothing to worry about there. BUT, as it is tagged, you may experience a lot of second-hand embarrassment, so you have been warned. Prepared to feel very uncomfortable.
> 
> Updates are every other day (starting in a few days after I finish my current fics), but I will change it soon. 
> 
> Hope you enjoyed, leave a comment if you've got a minute!
> 
> (I also finally started using my [Tumblr](https://lockedandlokied.tumblr.com/), so if wanna listen to me there...)


	2. How To Guilt-Trip Your Way Through Life

Jason woke up the next morning to the sound of someone pounding on the door of the room next to his. Tim’s room.

He groaned, turning to look at the clock. He rolled his eyes. Tim was supposed to have an early morning shoot today, but as suspected from last night’s activities, he was not yet awake, and it was already five minutes past the time he was supposed to arrive at the studio.

Jason did not have to accompany Tim to work, only to social events, but Tim insisted he usually come along anyway, getting sad when Jason refused.

Jason marched to his own door and wrenched it open.

Tim’s manager, a lady named Tanya, saw him.

“Oh, Jason!” she said. “Is he not awake yet?” she asked, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear, a nervous tick of hers. Then she adjusted her large, thick-rimmed glasses and looked at her watch.

He yawned. “I don’t know,” he said. “Probably.”

“I don’t have his room key and he’s late,” she said hurriedly. “Can you get into his room through yours?”

“Yes,” Jason admitted reluctantly.

“Can you please do me a favor and wake him up?” she asked. “I’ll buy you breakfast to repay you.”

Jason sighed, massaging his temples. “Yeah, okay, sure.”

“Thank you so much!” she said with a stressed smile. Then, she turned towards him and bowed at the waist before rushing away. “I’ll have a car waiting downstairs!” she called over her shoulder.

Jason stared after her. Tanya had a weird of mix of cultural traditions she practiced, from all over the world. It was an interesting thing about her, he supposed.

He went back into his room and stood in front of the door that led to Tim’s suite. Jason put his hand on the doorknob and he did not want to turn it.

But he did anyway.

He made his way through the room, which was much cleaner than last night, thanks to himself, and found Tim sprawled out shamelessly on his bed in black boxers and _was that Jason’s t-shirt?_

Jason frowned and knocked on the wall above the bed. “Mr. Drake, time to get up. You are late for work.”

Tim did not budge, but continued snoring loudly.

“Mr. Drake,” Jason said louder.

Still nothing. Jason reached over and shook Tim. No reaction. He shook Tim harder. How deeply does this man sleep?

Jason was one step away from slapping Tim across the face when he woke up. He blinked blearily up at Jason.

“Hurr? D’you stay here all night?” he asked yawning.

Jason ignored his question. “You are late for work. Your manager already stopped by.”

“Ah, Tanya was here? Did she have my bagel with her?” Tim asked, snuggling into his bed again, not at all concerned.

“Mr. Drake, your car is downstairs waiting. I suggest getting up now.”

“What’s the hurry?” Tim asked. “I need a while to actually wake up. Otherwise I’m really grouchy and need a ton of coffee to avoid snapping at people all day. They’ll understand.”

“Mr. Drake.”

“It’s Tim, by the way. How many times do I have to remind you?” Tim rolled over onto his back. He stretched lazily, his shirt riding up. “Oh, you never told me your first name. Well, I saw it on your application and everything, but you never introduced yourself.”

Jason crossed his arms. This was not a part of his job description.

“You have ten minutes, Mr. Drake,” he said. He started going back to his room.

“You’re not coming?” Tim asked, immediately awake and scrambling after Jason. He grabbed Jason’s arm. “Please come with me, Jay.”

Jason’s eyes narrowed. He pulled his arm away. “I want to sleep.”

Tim’s eyes widened, and he started making the kicked puppy face again. “Then I won’t go either.”

Jason scoffed. “Then don’t go. Your job, not mine.”

Tim followed Jason into his room. “You’re so mean, Jay,” he said, jumping onto Jason’s bed and burying himself into it.

“Get out of my bed,” Jason said. “And don’t call me that. We aren’t friends.”

Tim sat up, having successfully bundled himself up in all the blankets. “You’re so cold in the morning. But much more talkative, I guess.” He smiled at Jason. “Won’t you please come with me, Mr. Todd?”

“No, get out of my room.”

“I’m not leaving until you say you’ll go with me,” Tim said, falling backwards onto the bed again. “I’ll just stay in your bed and stare at you all day long, I guess.”

Jason gave Tim a disturbed look. Tim just smiled back. Jason could not tell if Tim purposely meant it to sound like that, or he really was just that stupid.

Jason went to his closet to grab a shirt.

“You’re getting dressed?” Tim asked excitedly. “Does that mean we’re going? Okay, I’m going to go get dressed too. Race you!”

Tim was out of the cocoon and dashing for the door in seconds. Jason frowned at him. After a moment’s thought, he called, “Give my shirt back!”

Tim just laughed, running and slipping on a burger wrapper and falling down onto the ground with a thud. But that did not stop him from racing towards his luggage.

Jason just frowned and sighed, as he always did.

As they made their way down the elevator five minutes later, Jason refusing to glance in Tim’s direction, Tim asked, “How are you this morning, Mr. Todd?”

“Fine.”

“Really? What time did you go to bed, hm? You look tired.”

Jason gave Tim a glare, which Tim was blissfully ignorant of. “Hey, also, did you see where that girl from last night went? What’s her name? Sally?”

“She left,” Jason said.

“Oh? I don’t remember her leaving. Huh. Oh, well,” he said.

Jason finally asked the question that was bothering him. “Aren’t you hungover?” he asked irritably, annoyed that Tim was so cheerful, but he was feeling like hell, and he did not even have a single drop of alcohol. In retrospect, maybe he should have.

“Of course I am,” Tim laughed. “But it’s nothing a gallon of coffee can’t fix.”

“Coffee,” Jason repeated flatly. “You don’t _drink_ coffee.”

Tim gave him an incredulous look. He patted Jason’s arm in sympathy. “Ah, I haven’t really needed a ton of coffee since I hired you. When I’m not in dire need of coffee, I just drink tea. I get easily addicted to coffee, so Tanya tries to keep me from drinking it.”

They walked out of the hotel lobby and Tanya stood on the sidewalk, checking her watch and shielding her eyes against the sun. She looked at Tim and glared.

“What the took so long?” she asked.

“I’m hungover, Tan,” Tim said. “Give me a break.”

She sighed softly and handed over a bag.

“My bagel?” Tim asked, eyes lighting up. “And coffee?”

“Yes, I bought coffee,” Tanya said. She turned towards Jason. “I didn’t know what you wanted, so I just got you a muffin. Is that okay?”

“That’s fine,” Jason said. Tim opened the car door and stepped inside. Jason sat next to him. Tanya sat up front. “Since you’re late to set today, they started with your partner’s scenes instead. The director is probably going to yell at you.”

“No, he won’t,” Tim said, mouth full of bagel and non-fat cream cheese. “Stop assuming everyone will hate me, Tanya. Do you really think I’m that unlikeable?”

Tanya blinked rapidly a couple times. “No, that’s not what I- sorry,” she said, ducking her head.

Jason snorted softly, turning to look out the car window. Tanya was a sweet person, but she could be such a pushover sometimes. She even looks like a pushover, with her dull glasses, long brown hair that is always left down around her face, and her scurry rather than walk as well as her tendency to apologize for everything.

When they reached the studio, Tim and Tanya are immediately rushed to the set without much of a word towards Jason. However, that suited Jason just fine. He settled himself in Tim’s trailer, where he usually stayed while Tim filmed.

After a couple hours of lazing around (Jason had already gone through all of Tim’s things twice, and still found nothing suspicious, only a couple boring porno mags), Tim entered his trailer with a bottle of water.

He collapsed onto the bed next to Jason and propped his feet up onto Jason’s legs. Jason sat up slowly and glared at him. But Tim had an arm thrown over his eyes, groaning.

“Do you mind?” Jason asked.

“I _do_ mind!” Tim said. “The director wants to do _all_ of the scenes we already filmed all over again. But in the afternoon. He said the lighting was wrong for the outdoor shoots. So I have to stay here _all day_.”

“I meant, do you mind getting your feet off my lap?”

“Huh, oh.” Tim swung his feet off. “Sorry, Mr. Todd.” He gasped and sat up. “Hey, Mr. Todd, if I gave you the rest of the day off, would you pick up lunch for me?”

“What?”

“Yeah, I’m really craving Italian right now, and there’s this amazing Italian restaurant nearby, but I can’t leave set yet, and all the interns are busy,” Tim explained.

“I’m not your maid,” Jason said.

“No, you’re much more of a built, sexy butler type,” Tim said seriously. Jason gave him a strange look. He really could not understand this man. Then Tim smiled brightly. “So, will you?”

Tim reminded Jason of a child with mood swings.

“I said, no,” Jason said again. He started standing.

“Please? I have to work until tonight.”

“ _No_.”

Tim was silent for a moment. As Jason was about to leave, he said, “Okay, I guess. That’s fine. You don’t have to.”

Jason stopped. He had not been planning to anyway. He glared at Tim over his shoulder.

Tim sat on his bed, his head drooping. “I think I have a protein bar around here somewhere, it’s fine. And after I’m done, I’ll go get a late dinner, assuming this doesn’t drag on until midnight. You can have your day off anyway,” he sighed sadly.

Jason glared at him harder. Then, he turned on his heels and made sure to slam the trailer door behind him.

~

Jason picked up his own lunch at Subway before driving to Tim’s Italian restaurant, which was _all the way across town_ , waited half an hour for the dish to be made, and paid a crazy amount of money for the pasta.

Then, he sat through midday traffic for an hour before getting back to the studio. He knocked on Tim’s trailer and found the man sipping a juice box when he opened the door.

Tim’s eyes lit up. “Mr. Todd! You’re back!” He squealed and made grabby hands. “You got my pasta!” He took the bag and set it on the counter. Then, he turned around and tried to hug Jason.

But Jason stuck out his hand and shook his head once. “Don’t try to hug me.”

Tim laughed. “Then a kiss?”

Jason’s eyes narrowed, and he took a step back. “I’m straight.”

“And so am I,” Tim said innocently. “I’m just being nice. You won’t accept any other form of thanks.”

“Just a verbal one will suffice.”

“Verbal is so boring though,” Tim complained.

“It’s _fine_.”

“Ugh, fine,” Tim huffed. “Thank you for getting my pasta. You want to eat with me?”

Jason shook his head. “I’m going to go have my day off now.” He started walking away before pausing. He turned reluctantly. “Call me if you need anything.”

“Will do!” Tim said cheerfully.

As Jason walked away, he wondered if he made a mistake with that offer. Jason fished out his keys to a rented car provided for all the actors (Tim, that idiot, left his car at the studio last time). Just then, Tanya came running up to him.

“Um, Jason!” she said. “Sorry, were you just leaving? I hope you don’t have to be somewhere. Ah, I won’t take too long. So Tim’s parts are probably going to wrap around nine tonight, so you can come back around 8:30, if that’s not too much trouble.”

“That’s fine,” Jason said, unlocking the car.

“Thank you! And sorry for keeping you,” she said, bowing deeply before running off again.

Jason climbed into the car and drove back to the hotel. He passed Tim’s room, and he slowed for a second. Then, he continued on to his own room. A minute later, he went into Tim’s room through the adjoining door between their rooms. Quietly closing the door behind him, Jason looked around the suite.

He had already been through a lot of Tim’s things, in his trailer, in his other hotel rooms, but he had promised to keep watching out for anything suspicious, so Jason had to go through all of Tim’s things, again.

He sighed heavily, remembering the past few times he had gone through Tim’s things. While he did not feel necessarily guilty, he found some odd things. For example, some lady’s panties, which would not have been too weird if he had not also found the matching lace bra, a framed nude picture of Tim, with his own signature scribbled over his crotch area, and a picture of Tim kissing another man on the cheek while the other man tried to push Tim away, laughing.

Jason was not too sure what to make of such objects. He just hoped he would not discover anything new this time.

Jason started with his suitcases, shoved in the closet. Nothing but clothes in there, and a severely alarming lack of underwear. Jason moved on to the bathroom, looking in the drawers and the little bag Tim kept for his toiletries.

There were two orange bottles of pills, which made Jason pause a moment. He read the label of each one. They were sleeping pills and antidepressants. Jason felt that it was a bit odd for Tim to need these, but maybe he did. Still, Jason took a sample of each to send it to the Boss later to confirm it was just that.

He moved on.

The kitchenette, the living room, anywhere that could possibly hide something suspicious, but Jason found nothing special.

He did find gay porn magazines rolled up and stashed in the drawer under the TV, however. Jason grimaced, a bit surprised, but he did not care. Tim could enjoy fucking flowers for all he knew, but that was not Jason’s business.

Jason also found a nondescript yellow envelope stuck haphazardly into the Bible provided by the hotel. Curious, he opened it and dumped out a bunch of pictures.

There were only about twelve to fifteen pictures, and what made Jason even more surprised were that they looked like printed copies of screenshots. And they were all screenshots of pictures on social media, pictures he took with fans.

Jason had no idea what Tim was collecting these pictures for, but as long as it was not drugs. He put the pictures back into the envelope and stuck it back into the Bible.

He stood and sighed, surveying the room one last time.

Another unfruitful search.

Jason dragged himself back to his own room and collapsed onto the bed, deciding to take a nap for a few hours before he had to head back to the studio. A few hours of quiet and peace would do him some good, especially when dealing with Tim.

The front of the studio was crowded with girls, and a few men. A quick glance at his phone told Jason that Tim, that idiot, had revealed the studio at which he was working, and now there were crowds and paps as well.

Jason had to drive the car through the crowd slowly, honking the horn to tell people to get out of the way. The security guards at the gate had a hard time keeping the girls from running in after the car.

Jason parked the car and exited, frowning as he went off to search for Tim.

He found Tim sitting in a tall chair, getting a massage from one of the interns. He was chatting amiably with the makeup lady while he got his makeup taken off. He spotted Jason and waved.

“Mr. Todd!” he said. “You’re just on time!” He hopped off his chair and started towards him. He forced his arm through one of Jason’s, latching on tightly. “Let’s go! Can you drive? I hurt my ankle today during filming.”

Jason frowned, but said nothing. When they got to the car, Jason slid into the driver’s seat without a work, and Tim into the passenger’s seat. The gates opened slowly and they had to squeeze through the crowd again. Tim then rolled down his window, and screaming filled Jason’s ears, causing him to frown deeper.

“Tim! Tim! I love you, Tim!”

“Can I have a picture! Tim!”

“Sure!” Tim laughed, sticking his face out the window to snap a photo with a one of the girls. Then, another picture with someone else. And another.

“Tim, oh my god, you’re so beautiful!” one girl squealed. She ran her fingers through his hair. “And your hair is so soft! I knew it would feel like that!”

Tim laughed and fixed his hair. “Thanks,” he said.

Then, yet another girl grabbed either side of his face and kissed him full on the lips. Tim’s eyes widened in surprise, but he did not push her off. “Woah,” he said. “That was… something.”

The girl that kissed him fainted.

Jason grew more annoyed. When they finally broke free of the crowd, Jason took the shortest route back to the hotel, scowling deeply.

Tim rolled up his window with a chuckle. “Whew! That was fun.”

Jason said nothing.

“Thanks for bringing me lunch, by the way,” Tim said. Then, he gasped loudly. “Ooh! Tomorrow, I have half the day off, so I was thinking, we should totally go to the beach! I heard the beaches in this area are amazing! Hm, I would go with some friends, but they’re all too far to fly out now. And Tanya would not approve of it, so maybe we shouldn’t tell her.” He beamed. “I guess it’s just you and me, Mr. Todd!”

Jason just grunted once in response.

Tim’s smile slowly slid off his face. “You don’t want to go with me, huh?” He slouched down into his chair. “I mean, I get it. You don’t have to go with me. I shouldn’t make everyone’s lives revolve around me. I’ll just spend my day off alone then, in my hotel. You can go do whatever you want with your friends. I’ll just…” he trailed off sadly.

They arrived at the hotel and Jason immediately got out. Tim followed more slowly, taking his time to slink into the elevator. Jason pressed the button for the twelfth floor, and Tim sighed heavily, shoulders sinking even lower.

“I mean, it’s important for people to spend time with their friends, right? I don’t exactly have many close friends, so there’s no one who I can invite to do things with me. And I just want one day of relaxing, without having to think about work, about the fans, about anything,” Tim said suddenly, his eyes still pinned to the ground. Jason rolled his eyes.

Tim continued, not seeing Jason’s reaction. “So yeah, you can go to the beach with whoever you want then, Mr. Todd. I’m sure you have a girlfriend somewhere who’s dying to see you. Tell me how they were later.”

Jason growled. “Can you _stop_?” he snapped. “You’re so pathetic! Do you have to try to manipulate people into doing what you want? Can’t you just be normal and ask people, and if they reject you, just deal with it! No one cares if you spend your time alone or if you don’t have friends! Stop trying to guilt me into doing things for you! I don’t pity you, Mr. Drake.” They reached the thirteenth floor, and the doors opened.

Jason gave Tim half a glance as he stomped out.

Tim’s eyes were wide, and he looked genuinely surprised to hear Jason’s words. Jason just scoffed, sure that Tim was acting and trying to guilt trip him again, and walked away, not once looking back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed!
> 
> If you want to know when this is updated or any other news regarding this story, you can go check out my [Tumblr](https://lockedandlokied.tumblr.com/).
> 
> Leave me a comment! I need some motivation to write! <3


	3. The Weight of Words

Jason woke up the next morning to his phone ringing over and over again. At first, he thought it was the Boss, but once he put the phone up to his ear, he found out that he was wrong.

“Jason!” came a shrill, worried voice. It was Tanya.

“Tanya?” Jason asked groggily. “What’s wrong?”

“I can’t reach Tim!” she said urgently. “I don’t- I don’t know where he is, and he’s not answering his phone at all! I’ve already called him four times! He never ignores me this long!”

Jason looked over at their adjacent door. “Maybe he’s just asleep.”

“Maybe… I just- I really need to speak to him. I’m headed to an important meeting right now, so can you tell him to call me?”

Jason sighed. “Yeah, sure.”

“Thank you so much, Jason,” Tanya gushed. “Check on him for me too, yeah? I’m really worried about him right now.”

Jason dragged himself from the warmth of his bed and headed over to the door. “Sure thing, Tanya. I’ll call you back soon.” Then, he knocked loudly on the door. He waited a couple moments, and there was no answer.

Jason knocked again, the doorknob rattling.

“I know you’re in there, Mr. Drake,” Jason called loudly. “Open the door.”

No answer.

“I’m going to kick this door down in a minute,” Jason warned.

There was still no answer.

Jason took a deep breath, giving Tim one last second, then, he kicked the door in. It crashed to the ground with a heavy slam, dust falling from the hinges.

Jason stomped across the sitting area and into the bedroom of Tim’s suite. He shoved the bedroom door open, glaring at Tim, who was curled up deep in his bed, with only his eyes peeking out of the cocoon he had wrapped himself in.

“Why didn’t you answer the door?” Jason demanded. “I broke the door down.”

Tim muttered something unintelligible.

“Speak up, please,” Jason said irritably.

Tim struggled to move his mouth up a bit. “I cou’n’t,” he rasped. “’m sick. I git dizzy.”

Jason frowned at him for a moment, trying to see if Tim was lying. But his voice really sounded bad, and his eyes were red and puffy, and unless he had been bawling at the top of his lungs all night long, he was telling the truth.

Jason sighed. “Your manager called. Why didn’t you answer the phone?”

“Left it in my pan’s lat night,” Tim murmured, his eyes drooping again.

“You’re really sick?” Jason asked. Tim nodded slowly. Jason was silent for a while. “Are you drinking water?”

A shake this time. “Can’ reach.”

“That’s a stupid reason,” Jason said. “How’d you even _get_ sick? You were fine last night.”

“We had ta film out-outdoors lat night,” Tim said, nose bunching up. He looked like he was about to sneeze, but never did. He gave a miserable whine, and sank deeper into his covers. Jason looked over at the fluttering curtains on the other side of the room.

“And you left your _window_ open?” Jason accused. “No wonder you got sick!”

Tim sneezed loudly before coughing loudly. Jason’s lips pressed together tightly, arms crossing.

He really hated being Tim’s babysitter. He was not hired to take care of this man-child’s every need in life. He was just supposed to protect him. But then again, from what? Fangirl attacks?

Jason shook his head to himself and started off to the bathroom. He turned on the bath and filled it with steaming water. When the bath was full, he headed back to the bedroom, where Tim was half asleep again. Jason shut the window loudly to wake him up.

“Get out of there,” Jason said.

“Cold,” Tim whined.

“You’re not going to get better by curling up pathetically in there,” Jason said dryly. He reached over and pulled the blankets off of Tim in one swipe. Tim whimpered, and he immediately started shivering. “Can you walk yourself to the bathroom?”

“No!” Tim protested loudly. “Di’n’t you _hear_ me earlier? I thaid-”

“Yeah, yeah, dizzy,” Jason cut him off. “Arms up, I’ll carry you.”

Tim glared at him a moment before raising his arms slowly. Jason reached down and scooped him up. Tim’s skin was very hot, almost scalding.

“You’re burning up,” Jason accused. He gently set Tim down on the lid of the toilet. “Strip,” he commanded. “I’m not taking your clothes off this time. I’ll go get you some water.”

He grabbed a water bottle from the mini bar in the next room and returned to find Tim struggling to get his shirt over his head. Jason questioned his Boss’ beliefs yet again. He reached over and helped Tim pull the shirt off. Then, he handed him the water bottle. He made Tim drink the whole thing, even when Tim complained and shook his head pleadingly.

Jason then helped Tim into the bath, never feeling more like a nanny. However, he drew the line firmly there.

“Wash yourself. Or just lay there for ten minutes,” Jason said stiffly. He turned quickly and walked out, shutting the door firmly behind him. He then called room service, asked if they could make some chicken soup, got the bedsheets changed, made sure the AC was turned off, and gave Tanya a call.

“Is he okay?” she asked, whispering loudly.

“Yeah, he’s fine,” Jason said. “Just a cold. He left the window open overnight.”

“Oh, poor dear,” she said. “I’m so sorry, Jason, but I have to get back to the meeting. Take care of him please? Sorry!” Then, she ended the call and was gone.

Jason huffed quietly. He then accepted the food from room service, then knocked on the door to the bathroom.

“Mr. Drake?” he called. “Are you done?”

There was no answer.

“Mr. Drake. I hope you did not fall asleep in there. You’ll freeze again.”

Still no answer.

Jason took a deep breath and braced himself, opening the door. Turns out, Tim _had_ indeed fallen asleep in there.

“Mr. Drake,” he called loudly. Tim startled awake, splashing water everywhere.

“Erhh?” Tim mumbled, blinking up at Jason. “Oh, Mr. Todd.” He slumped back into the bath. “I’m tired.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Jason said with a sigh. “Get out of the bath.” He waited with the towel while Tim slipped and stumbled his way out of the bath, and had the audacity to stand there expectantly for Jason to wrap him up in the towel. Jason just draped the towel over his shoulders. “Dry off, I’m bringing you clothes.”

Jason easily found a sweatshirt , sweatpants, and what seemed like clean boxers shorts, holding them through the door.

It took Tim quite a while to get dressed again, but thankfully he managed without Jason’s help. He sniffled and dragged himself back to bed, slipping in immediately.

Jason brought the chicken soup over. “Drink the soup before you go to sleep.”

Tim made a whining noise.

“Mr. Drake, do you really want to be on set with a bad cold?”

Tim reluctantly pushed himself into a sitting position. He opened his mouth and stared at Jason.

“I’m not feeding you,” Jason said indignantly. “You can feed yourself.”

Tim stared at him another moment before sliding back under the covers.

“Fine,” Jason said. “Eat it, don’t eat it, I don’t care.”

“Okay, okay!” Tim called after him. “I’ll eat it.” He pushed himself up once more, reaching for the ridiculously large bowl, his hands shaking as he carried it onto his lap. He reached for the spoon and placed it into the soup, giving it a slow stir before bringing it to his lips.

Jason watched from the doorway as Tim blew on the soup several times. Then, he sipped it slowly from the spoon. In other words, it took a really long time to eat the entire bowl.

Jason did not move from his spot by the doorway, and every few sips, Tim would look up to make sure Jason was still there.

When he finished the entire bowl, Jason nodded. “Now go to sleep.”

Tim set the bowl aside. “Where are you going?” he asked.

“I’ll just be next door. And you sleep it off. I don’t want to hear from you until later.”

“’Kay,” Tim said slowly, bringing the covers up this chin again. He closed his eyes and a small smile appeared on his face. “Thanks, Mr. Todd.”

And Jason did not smile as he left, not at all.

~

“Mr. Todd! Mr. Todd!” Tim yelled through the door, knocking rapidly.

Jason pulled the door open urgently, wondering what Tim could be yelling for. He found Tim standing on the other side, dressed in a maroon knitted sweater. Jason’s eyes narrowed. “What?” he asked. “Shouldn’t you be in bed?”

“I feel much better now,” Tim said. “Wonderful, actually. And I was thinking, since Tanya went through the trouble of rearranging my entire schedule today, I thought I should go pick out a little gift for her!”

“Okay…” Jason said, not understanding what Tim was getting at.

“Now,” Tim clarified. “And you have to come with me.”

“You’re still sick though,” Jason pointed out.

“Not really,” Tim said. “My nose is a bit runny and my voice a bit sore, but I’m not going to _die_.” He reached into the pockets of his jeans and pulled out a pack of tissues. “I’m prepared, see?”

Jason sighed. “Fine,” he growled. “Gimme a sec.” He disappeared back into his room to grab a sweater, sunglasses, and his phone.

They went to a nearby mall, and immediately, Tim dragged him into the nearest store. Jason felt highly uncomfortable with the pink walls and the shelves of stuffed animals. As Tim went around the store, cooing at all the toys, Jason found himself glaring back at a large stuffed panda, which stared back at him with unblinking eyes.

Definitely uncomfortable.

Tim browsed around for ten minutes, decided not to buy anything, and dragged Jason out again. They moved to the store next door. This store sold handmade trinkets from Indonesia. There were small bags, bracelets, earrings, scarves and such. When a store associate approached them, Tim listened to all the information the associate fed him, nodding and looking like he was really considering it.

In the end, he did not purchase anything.

“Ooh, we should go there,” Tim said, pointing to the lingerie store across the way.

Jason hesitated. “I don’t really know if you’ll find a present there,” he said.

“Why not?” Tim asked. “Don’t women love lingerie?”

Jason gave him an incredulous look, unsure if Tim was kidding or not. “Lingerie is a rather… intimate present,” he said.

Tim beamed. “Perfect! I’ve known Tanya for three years now!”

“Mr. Drake, I really-” Jason started to protest, but Tim grabbed his hand and dragged him into the store.

Jason felt even more uncomfortable here. Tim examined the lacy bras and underwear while Jason stood by. He noticed other shoppers glancing at him, some whispering a bit. He quickly looked away.

“Mr. Drake,” Jason tried again. “You might find a more fitting present at a jewelry store or a-”

A sudden gasp from behind him cut him off. He turned.

“Oh my god, _hi_!” Two girls stood behind him, talking to Tim, who also turned. “You’re Tim Drake, right?”

Tim smiled. “Oh, yeah!”

The girls giggled. One of the adjusted the bags in her hands. “I was just wandering around here and I saw you, and I was so shocked, so I had to be sure. I just wanted to say that I _love_ your movies and you seem so sweet as a person,” she gushed. She went completely red. “Sorry, sorry,” she apologized. “I’m rambling and I-”

Tim laughed. “No, no, it’s fine. I totally get it,” he said. “Would you guys like a picture?”

They both nodded eagerly. The first girl took out her phone and handed it to Tim. They posed in front of a rack of lacy red bras. Then, Tim took out his own phone. “We’ll take one on my phone too, yeah?”

They arranged themselves excitedly again while Jason stood by and rolled his eyes. Then, Tim pulled him down as well.

“Smile, Mr. Todd,” Tim said, grinning.

Jason frowned, and Tim took the picture. Tim tucked his phone back into his pocket. “Thanks!” he said to the girls.

The other girl, equally red, was more eloquent than her friend. “So, um, what are you looking for? Just doing some shopping?”

“Yeah,” Tim said. Then, he smiled wider. “Actually, you know, perfect timing. I wanted to get something for my manager, but I actually have no idea what to get her at all, so do you guys mind helping me?”

The girls looked at each other. “Uh, _yeah_ ,” the first girl said. She glanced up at Jason for a moment, then went back to Tim. “Well, you first have to consider what kind of person your manager is.”

Tim thought hard about it. He turned to Jason. “What kind of person would you say Tanya is?”

A pushover, Jason wanted to say. Instead, he just shrugged.

Tim poked him in the shoulder. “You’re not help, Mr. Todd,” he said. “Oh, by the way, this is my bodyguard, Mr. Todd. And ah, how rude of me, what are your names?”

The girls giggled. “Natasha,” the first one said.

“Melanie,” the second answered.

Tim grinned. “Alright, c’mon, girls. We’ve got a present to find.”

It took Tim two hours to find what he deemed the “perfect present”. Jason followed them around, feeling like the owner of three energetic puppies, with no choice but to let them go explore whatever they wanted, and being dragged along behind them.

Tim had chosen a large glass paperweight with a pretty purple flower painted inside. Jason did not know if it was the _perfect_ gift, but it would have suited Tanya rather well.

After Tim said good-bye to the girls, he turned to Jason with a happy smile. “You want to come get dinner with me?” he asked.

Jason thought about declining, but he could already imagine Tim going on and on about how sad he would look eating alone. So he reluctantly nodded his head. “Fine.”

Tim smiled widely. “Now the question is, do we want to risk a fancy restaurant we don’t have reservations for, or getting food poisoning from fast food?”

“I doubt anyone would let us into a fancy restaurant dressed the way we are,” Jason scoffed.

“Burger King it is!” Tim said, immediately starting to march towards one of the many exits of the mall.

“Your car is that way,” Jason pointed out.

“To the car!” Tim said, whipping around, nearly kicking over some lady’s kid, and heading in the opposite direction.

Jason sighed in exasperation before following Tim out, pulling his sunglasses down to hide himself from the judging stares of the other shoppers.

Tim payed for their food, insisting that it was to pay Jason back for buying the pasta. Jason did not tell him that the Tim’s pasta was probably three times as expensive as their meals today.

Jason mostly ate in silence, letting Tim ramble by himself and only answering questions when he absolutely had to. He tried to concentrate on eating, so Tim’s chattering was really starting to get on his nerves.

And when Jason finished, Tim still had half his burger, a two thirds of his Froot Loops milkshake, and a quarter of his fries to get through. He also did not seem to feel guilty for making Jason wait. Nope, he took his sweet time.

When Tim got down to just his fries, he got a call from Tanya.

“Hey, Tan!” Tim said. “What’s up?”

Tanya responded, sounding urgent, but Jason did not catch it.

Tim’s expression grew a bit more serious. “Oh, really? Yeah, yeah, of course. I’m not to far away right now. Just about ten minutes.”

Tanya asking him something.

“Hm? Oh, yeah, Mr. Todd’s with me.” Tim sipped his milkshake slowly, finishing it and making the loud, obnoxious slurping noise. “Yeah, I’ll be right over. Thanks, Tan.”

“What was that?” Jason asked.

Tim sighed, shoving three more fries into his mouth while stuffing his phone back into his pocket. “Looks like our little date has to be cut short,” Tim said. “Tanya said she had to tell me something urgently, and she wanted me to get over to the hotel quickly.”

Jason frowned. “And she couldn’t tell you over the phone?”

Tim shrugged, standing up. “Don’t know.” He gathered their trash up and threw it away. Then, he dusted his hands on his pants. “C’mon, let’s go.”

Jason drove them back to the hotel, and neither of them spoke. Just as Jason pulled into the underground parking garage, Tim cursed.

“Ah, fuck,” he said. “I left my wallet at Burger King.” He grimaced. “Damn it, all my stuff’s in there.” He turned to Jason. “Hey, Mr. Todd, do you mind driving back and see if it’s still there? Please? Tanya sounded pretty agitated over the phone, and she’s already here, so I should probably go meet her.”

Jason sighed. “Yeah, sure. Go ahead.”

“Thank you so much,” Tim said, sliding out of the seat and grabbing the gift bag with the paperweight. “I’ll treat you to drinks sometime!”

Then, he dashed towards the elevator.

Jason pulled out of the parking garage and drove back to the Burger King. It was just like that idiot to cause Jason more trouble.

Honestly, Jason should just call the Boss now and tell him he no longer wanted to babysit Timothy Drake, who really did not seem the Spanish drug lord’s American ambassador because he was too damn stupid.

Tim’s wallet was still on the table they were sitting at, so Jason grabbed it and left. He drove back to the hotel, taking his time to get back at Tim. Let him wait, see how he likes it. He walked languidly through the lobby, taking the elevator up to their floor.

But when he stepped out onto their floor, Jason felt that something was off. The entire hall was quiet. Jason headed to the door of Tim’s room, only to find the door slightly ajar, and the inside of the room dark.

Jason pushed the door open, frowning.

“Mr. Drake?” he called, reaching over and flicking on the light.

The room looked just like it had before they left that evening. A few things moved around, but nothing seemed to be amiss. But there was no one there, and Jason heard no sounds of human activity.

“Mr. Drake?” he asked a bit louder. “Tanya?”

Jason walked into the living area, and he spotted a Post-It note on the mini bar.

_Mr. Todd,_ it read. _I’m sorry for leaving so abruptly, but I will be back in a little less than a week. Emergency work stuff. Had to leave immediately, wish you could come. Thanks for understanding! –Tim_

Jason frowned, flipping the note over. There was nothing on the back.

Jason looked around the room once more. Something still did not seem right.

Tim did not seem the type to leave without giving Jason a call at least, and certainly not without his wallet. Then, Jason saw it.

Fallen under the bed, a familiar brown paper bag from a store Jason and Tim had visited earlier that afternoon. Jason bent down and pulled it out from under the bed.

He pulled the tissue paper out and peeked inside.

The glass paperweight meant for Tanya was still inside, shattered into several pieces, cracking the purple flower in half.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Batman Day, guys!
> 
> I have some (kinda bad) news. So I am considering taking up piano lessons again, after quitting earlier this year. After some time, I decided it might be a better idea not to quit on something I spent so many years working for. So I'm going to take up the piano again, on top of being in a travel orchestra, and school. So I don't know if I can write as often anymore with this possible new addition. Nothing is for sure yet, but I'm just giving you guys a heads up. 
> 
> Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, as things are finally happening. Thanks for reading, and leave me a comment! (Also, this chapter featured Jason the panda!)
> 
> <3
> 
> My [Tumblr](https://lockedandlokied.tumblr.com/)


	4. The Idiotic Kidnappers v.s. the Idiotic Agents

“Boss, he’s gone.”

“Gone? What do you mean, gone, Todd?” the Boss asked.

“He’s just _gone_!” Jason said again, pacing the room anxiously. “I was gone for _twenty_ minutes, come back, and he’s gone, his manager’s gone, there’s a suspicious note on the mini bar, and all his stuff is still here.”

“Okay,” Boss said after a long pause. “Okay. I’ll send some officers, a detective and forensics over to check it out. But Todd, it really could just be nothing.”

Jason growled. “Seriously? This doesn’t alarm you at all? Drake has not let me out of his _sight_ since I started working for him, and now he suddenly disappears for some ‘work’ emergency without me?”

“Todd-”

“The note is also sloppy and very suspicious sounding. He did get a call from his manager earlier about something urgent, but she refused to tell him on the phone,” Jason said.

Boss sighed. “Todd, please calm down for a moment. You are way too worked up about this. We will make sure to chase down all the possibilities. But until then, there’s not much we can do.”

Jason was not happy about that, but he could not just keep talking back to the Boss. “Okay,” he finally said. “I’ll- I’ll just wait.”

“Why don’t you go ahead and ask some of the staff of the hotel if they noticed anything odd. It’ll make you feel better if you’re participating,” the Boss said. “You’ll tear yourself apart if I just leave you to seethe by yourself.”

Jason wanted to retort, but the sudden, very uncalled for surge of hope made him reconsider. “Thank you,” he said instead. “I’ll get right to it, Boss.”

The Boss grunted once in response.

Jason ran down to the front desk and asked to speak to their manager. Jason then asked the manager to ask his workers if they saw anything odd during that time. The manager promised to, and on the way back to the floor, he stopped and questioned each person he saw. Most of them gave him odd looks before hesitantly answering his questions. None of the answers were of any use to him anyway.

Jason was not sure _why_ he was so insistent on tracking Tim down, but maybe it was the fact that he felt like it was on him that Tim got kidnapped (assuming it was a kidnapping). It meant that Jason failed at his job, his fake job, but his job nonetheless.

Having learned nothing from the people working in the hotel, Jason returned to his room and flopped backwards onto his bed to think. He threw an arm over his eyes and just lay there.

A while later, there was a knocking at his door, and the door opened. Jason removed his arm and sat up.

He smiled widely when he saw who walked in.

“A!”

Artemis, his partner, smirked at him. “Hey, Jay. Heard you lost your target.”

Jason scoffed. “I didn’t _lose_ him,” he immediately countered. Then, after a short pause, he sighed. “Actually, I kinda did.”

“Hey, don’t feel bad,” Artemis said, walking over and sitting down next to him. “It just shows your incompetence, but don’t worry, we’ll all pretend to be blind to it.”

“Bitch,” Jason groaned.

“Asshole,” she jabbed back. She then reached into her jacket pocket and pulled out a USB drive. “Since you were working so hard there,” she said. “I did you a favor and copied the security footage from tonight onto here.”

Jason sat up straight immediately. “You’re fucking with me,” he said. “Already?” He scrambled to get his laptop from under the bed. “D’you watch it yet?”

Artemis laughed. “’Course not. I’d be a terrible friend if I opened the present without you.”

Jason got his computer on and plugged the USB drive into it. He then scooted over on the bed to make room for Artemis to sit beside him. They waited for the footage to pull up.

“Yes!” Jason cheered quietly when it finally loaded in. “Okay, so Drake disappeared a sometime between 6:10 PM, which was when he exited the car, and 6:35 PM, which was when I got to his room.”

“When did you guys leave today?” Artemis asked.

“Around two in the afternoon,” Jason answered. “I’m going to start there.”

He fast forwarded all the way to right before they left. “Okay,” he said. He watched as they exited from Tim’s room. The Jason in the footage closed the room door behind him. Then, they walked to the elevator and went inside.

Jason set the footage on fast forward from there.

Around 3:45 PM, a cleaning lady comes around to the suites in the hall, going from room to room, cleaning them. She cleaned Tim’s room, but she from what the footage showed, she just changed the sheets, changed the towels, and replenished the toiletries. However, when she disappeared into Jason’s suite, the elevator doors opened. Jason sat forward, eyes narrowing immediately.

Two tall men exited. They wore dark sunglasses, and they dressed in all black. Way to be inconspicuous.

They looked up and down the hall. One of the men nudged the other and nodded at the cleaning lady’s cart.

They walked towards Tim’s room, which had already been cleaned.

“Do you know who they are?” Artemis asked.

Jason shook his head, keeping his eyes trained on the two men. One of them pulled out a key card from his pocket and inserted into the door. As they opened the door to Tim’s room, the cleaning lady stepped out. Jason held his breath.

The lady said something to them, her arms full of towels. They responded, and the lady said something else to them. Then, she nodded and continued on her way, pushing her cart away, and they disappeared into the room. She looked over her shoulder twice before going into the elevator.

Tim stopped the tape. “It’s them. I bet you, they took Tim.”

Artemis gave him an odd look, raising an eyebrow. She then sighed. “We can’t draw conclusions just yet, Jay. No proof. Let’s keep watching.”

Nothing happened on the footage for a few hours, until the elevator opened yet again, and Tanya walked out, looking nervous. She tried the door to Tim’s room, found it locked, and then started pacing around in the hall.

She kept glancing at her watch and pulling out her phone and putting it back into her pocket.

Jason watched as five minutes later, the elevator door opened again, and Tim hurried out, gift bag in hand. He waved to Tanya, gave her a sheepish smile and chatted amiably while pulling out his key card.

Tanya said some things to him urgently. Tim seemed nonplussed though. He pushed the door open and went inside, holding it open from the inside to let Tanya in.

Before she went inside, she looked around the hallway. The door closed firmly behind her.

Jason was completely alert, his eyes focused completely on the screen, determined not to miss anything.

Less than five minutes passed before the door to Tim’s room opened again. One of the buff men walked out first, Tim thrown over his shoulder.

Tim was unconscious, gagged and his hands bound behind his back. The man held the door open for his partner, who came out carrying Tanya. Tanya’s hands were bound by the tie she had been wearing, and she had what looked like a hand towel stuffed in her mouth.

Another ten minutes passed, and then Jason came back.

Jason sighed and paused the footage, leaning back onto the bed again. He put both his hands onto his face and pulled them down slowly. “Looks like I was right,” he said dryly. “Kidnapped.”

Artemis put her hand on his leg. “Oh, don’t beat yourself up over it,” she said. “We have to start tracing them immediately, in any way we can, before their trail goes cold.”

Jason rubbed his eyes and sat up slowly. “It doesn’t make sense though. Who were they, and why did they capture Drake?”

Artemis’ eyebrow rose a bit again, but she said nothing. “Isn’t that always the question?” she said. “Look, we can’t sit around thinking about that right now.”

“No, but didn’t you notice? Drake was tied up with rope and he had an actual gag in his mouth. Tanya- she was tied up with her tie and a towel stuffed in her mouth. They weren’t expecting her to be there,” Jason said, rewinding the footage to show Artemis.

“That doesn’t help us, though,” Artemis pointed out. “It doesn’t tell us where they went.”

Jason rewinded the footage yet again. “They couldn’t have left through the lobby, and they had gone down the hall that way, towards the fire escape.”

“Your rooms are on the top floor, Jason,” Artemis said. “It’s a long way down from there.”

Jason pressed his lips together. “Unless they went up.”

“To the roof? Don’t you think a helicopter is a bit conspicuous on top of a hotel?”

“In a city like this? No one would think anything of it,” Jason said, pushing himself off the bed. “I’m going to go find that lady who spoke with the two men. You go look and see if you can track down anything on helicopters in the city.”

Artemis rolled her eyes. “Of course _you_ get the easy part. Meanwhile, poor Red goes off to who knows where to ask about _helicopters_. We don’t even know they left in a helicopter.”

“Then I suppose they sprouted wings and flew away?”

“Duh, that should have been your _first_ thought, asshole.”

Jason snorted. “If you’re so smart, you should’ve thought of it first, bitch. I’m going to call the Boss.”

“You never get tired of annoying him, do you?” Artemis laughed.

Jason pulled out his phone and glared at Artemis. “Yes, hey, Boss. We’ve got evidence that Drake was indeed kidnapped.”

“Already?” the Boss asked. “Eyewitnesses?”

“No, better. Security cam footage.”

“Really,” the Boss said, sounding unimpressed. “Were Drake’s kidnappers so careless?”

Jason shrugged, glancing over at Artemis. “I don’t know, but they did. Weird, but it’s our only lead as of now.”

The Boss sighed. “Alright. Forensics didn’t find Drake’s phone anywhere in the room. So we’re going to track it down right now.” He paused for a moment before sighing loudly. “You’re going to want to go, aren’t you?”

“Of course.”

“This time, Todd,” the Boss said. “Please take backup with you.”

Jason shot Artemis a grin. “Already got her.”

The Boss was silent. “Okay. I’ll send you the information as soon as we track him down.”

“Thanks, Boss,” Jason said.

“Yeah, yeah, don’t get all soft on me now, Todd,” the Boss grunted.

“’Course not,” Jason said. “I’m, uh, I’m going to hang up now.”

The Boss ended the call abruptly. Jason turned back towards Artemis, who frowned.

“The Boss is right,” Artemis said. “It seems suspicious. Something is wrong here. If those men are sent to kidnap someone like Drake, they must be good. But why did they just walk past the security cameras like that, not even bothering to edit the footage, they don’t take Drake’s things off of him, or anything. It’s like they _want_ to be tracked down,” she said. “Maybe this is a trap.”

“If it is a trap, what can we do about it?” Jason asked. “Lives could be at stake.” His phone buzzes, and he gets a text from the Boss, a set of coordinates.

Artemis spotted the text over his shoulder. “Jay, I think we should think this through a little longer.”

Jason grabbed his jacket and pulled guns from a few his luggage, strapping them onto his hip and his leg. “Sorry, Art,” he grinned. “Boss gave me the green light. Are you coming or not?”

Artemis glared at him before following him out the door. “And let you nearly get yourself killed again? In your dreams, Todd.”

Jason laughed loudly. “Good to see you again too, Agent Grace!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm writing this story backwards, so it's going to take a while to get chapter 5 out (I've finished Chapters 10-12). I'm sorry for the long wait for this chapter!
> 
> Also, my one wish was fulfilled today. Honestly, since I've started writing, all I've ever wanted was for someone to recommend something I've written, and it happened today. While the fic wasn't the best thing I've ever written or my favorite, but I feel like I can retire happily now. I'm not going to "retire", but I was granted all I've ever granted. Funnily enough though, my fic was recommended to myself. I'm kind of in shock right now, so I don't know if this paragraph made any sense at all, or am I just writing random words.
> 
> Hope you guys enjoyed! Leave me a comment, pretty please! <3
> 
> My [Tumblr](https://lockedandlokied.tumblr.com/)


	5. We're Not Getting Domestic

“This place?” Jason asked dubiously, glancing at the run-down bakery from across the street.

“According to the coordinates,” Artemis said. They exited the car. “Ready?”

Jason nodded, pulling out his gun while Artemis reached for her walkie talkie. “Alright, team. On three.”

They burst into the building, easily apprehending the guard that was falling asleep over the dusty counter of the bakery. The bakery was small, so the first floor was easily cleared.

The door to the basement opened, and a large man fitted himself through it.

“Hey-” He was knocked over the head before he even got his gun out. A flood of agents flowed into the basement. Jason pushed past them all to get to the front.

There were some gunshots, and Jason had no idea who fired the shots, but when the chaos cleared up, no one was actually hurt. Another two men had been rounded up and led away.

Artemis got to Tim first (which really irritated Jason, for some weird reason).

“Hey, it’s okay now,” she said, working on untying his hands and removing the blindfold as well. “Shh…”

Once the gag was removed from his mouth, Tim started hyperventilating. “Who _are_ you?! Are you going to kidnap me too? I just want to go _home_. I don’t have any information, I don’t know who those men were, I don’t _know_ anything!” he sobbed.

Jason knelt down next to him. “Mr. Drake,” he said quietly. “It’s okay now. We got the men who kidnapped you, you’re fine.”

Tim’s eyes snapped open. “Mr. Todd? You- What are you doing here? Are you with them?” He reached out and latched onto Jason’s arm tightly. “They’re not going to hurt me, are they?” he asked fearfully, half hiding behind Jason like a kid.

“No, Mr. Drake. We’re the good guys.”

“The good guys?” Tim’s eyes widened. “But they’re FBI. That means… _you’re-_ ” he gasped and stepped back, glaring at Jason. He raised a finger at Jason accusingly. “You lied.”

Jason frowned, unsure of whether getting into an argument with a mentally unstable victim of kidnapping was a good idea at the moment. “I didn’t lie about anything,” he said slowly.

“You were supposed to be my bodyguard!” Tim accused.

“Yes,” Jason said slowly. “And I was. But I also work for the FBI.”

“That’s lying,” Tim said. “I can sue you. I think.”

Jason just sighed. “Mr. Drake, where is your manager?”

“Tanya?” Tim asked. He looked around. “Is she- Is she not here?” he asked, sounding worried.

Jason’s eyes narrowed. “You don’t know?”

A silent shake of his head.

Jason turned to look up at Artemis. “You’ve searched the entire building?” She nodded. Jason grimaced. “Well, we have to keep looking then. You’ll get on that? I’ll…” he glanced at Tim, who had gone back to staring fearfully at the apprehended men, who were being roughly walked out of the basement. “Deal with him.”

Artemis gave him a skeptical look. “Deal with him? Boss’ll want him in witness protection.” She paused a moment. “And extensive questioning.”

“Yeah, I know,” Jason said. “But I just want to talk to him first.”

“Alright,” she said. “Gimme a call soon and keep me updated.”

“Yeah,” Jason agreed. “I’ll do the same for you.”

Artemis walked back upstairs. Jason turned back to Tim. “You okay now?” he asked.

Tim looked up at him dubiously. “You’re… not going to hurt me, are you?” he asked.

“No, I won’t,” Jason said. “And I know you’re in a lot of shock right now and everything, but I need you to come with me.”

Tim stood unsteadily, leaning on Jason. “Where are we going?” he asked.

“The bureau. Just for you to answer some questions,” Jason explained.

“But I don’t know anything! I don’t know why they kidnapped me, I don’t know where Tanya is, I don’t know _who_ those men were, I don’t-” Tim’s voice cracked and he sounded like he was on the verge of tears again.

“Okay, okay,” Jason said. “I’m not accusing you of anything! Just tell all that to the person who will be questioning you. You’re not a suspect for anything,” he lied.

Tim’s breathing steadied, but he was choking Jason’s arm with his hands. When they got back into the sunlight, Tim held on even tighter, hiding behind Jason a bit. Jason ordered a few agents around, telling them to gather all possible pieces of evidence from the basement as well as the rest of the bakery before starting towards his car.

“Mr. Drake,” another agent said. “You’ll be in this car.” He tried directing Tim away.

Tim’s eyes went wide. He glanced up at Jason. “But he’s-”

“You’ll ride with them,” Jason said. “You’ll have three agents in the car with you, so you’ll be safe.”

Tim clung to him. “I don’t- You’re not coming with?” he asked nervously.

“I will,” Jason said. “I just need to confirm some things first. I’ll be ten minutes behind you.”

“Then I’m staying another ten minutes,” Tim said firmly.

“Mr. Drake,” the agent tried again. “Your safety is-”

“No,” Tim insisted. “I’m staying with Mr. Todd.”

The agent glanced at Jason. Jason just rolled his eyes and waved at the agent. “I’ll take him,” he sighed. The agent nodded and left. Jason led Tim to his car and let Tim climb into the passenger’s side before sliding into the driver’s seat.

They drove in silence for a while.

“Thank you,” Tim said.

Jason just grunted once in response.

“How’d you find me?” Tim asked.

“Your phone,” Jason said.

“And you- you tracked me here?” Tim asked. Jason nodded. “What about Tanya then? Can’t you trace her phone too?”

Jason’s lips pressed together tightly. “She left her phone in the hotel room.”

“Oh,” Tim said quietly.

“You really don’t know anything?” Jason asked.

He shook his head. “They never talked around me. I just know I was shoved around a lot, from vehicle to vehicle, probably exchanged groups twice, and Tanya disappeared somewhere then. I was gagged and blindfolded _and_ unconscious most of the time.”

Jason did not speak for a while, trying to determine whether or not Tim was lying. “Fine,” he said. “I believe you.”

“You do?” Tim asked, sounding surprised.

Jason nodded slowly. “Should I not?”

“No, no,” Tim assured. “I’m just surprised you actually believe me.” He smiled a little, looking down at his hands and playing with the edge of his shirt.

Jason scowled the rest of the way to the bureau.

~

“Do you have anyone you can stay with for a couple weeks?” Jason asked when Tim finally came out of the questioning room.

Tim looked up at him with dull eyes. It was obvious that he was beyond tired after an hour of long questioning. He shook his head slowly.

“No friends? Family?” Jason asked.

Tim shook his head again.

Jason massaged his temples. The Boss had left him to deal with where Tim would be staying and making sure he would be safe while they find Tanya. He had already gone through all of Tim’s family, and as far as he found out, Tim’s father was living the rich life in California, and Tim had a half-brother who lived down in Washington D.C.

The Boss wanted to keep Tim nearby, since he _still_ did not believe that Tim was not in contact with the Spanish drug lord.

“Do you have anywhere you _want_ to stay?” Jason asked.

Tim thought about it for a moment. “Can I stay with you?” he asked, looking up hopefully.

Jason frowned. “No.”

Tim visibly deflated.

Twenty minutes later, Jason opened the door to his apartment, and Tim walked inside without even taking off his shoes, which actually really ticked Jason off (he was a bit of a neat freak).

“Shoes off,” Jason snapped.

Tim kicked his shoes off, one flying into Jason’s stomach, the other under the couch.

“Woahh, it’s so clean in here!” Tim said, sliding across the shiny wooden floorboards like a kid. “You live by yourself?” he asked.

“Yes,” Jason said. “I don’t want a roommate, so if you’re planning on staying here, you’d better learn to clean up after yourself.”

“Yes, sir!” Tim said, saluting Jason with a silly smile on his face. Then, he went into the kitchen and started opening and closing cabinets. He gasped loudly. “You have mini powdered donuts!” He pulled out a bag of half eaten powdered donuts that Jason had long since forgotten about.

“Those are probably two months old,” he said.

Tim glanced at into it, then peered at the packaging. “They should be fine. Hasn’t reached the expiration date yet.” He immediately popped an entire donut into his mouth, powder coating his lips, fingers, and Jason’s beautiful floor.

Jason bit back a grimace. He put his keys and phone down onto the counter as Tim continued to look through his fridge and the rest of his cabinets.

“You don’t have a lot of food in here,” Tim observed.

“I’m not here a lot,” Jason said. “I spend an average of ten hours a day working at the bureau, and recently, I was working undercover as your bodyguard.”

“You never told me what for,” Tim said, eating another donut. More white powdered coated the dark cherry floorboards. Jason frowned harder.

“That’s classified information.”

Tim gasped loudly, miraculously _not_ choking on the hazardous powdered sugar. “Is it like the movies? ‘If I tell you, I’d have to kill you’ thing?”

Jason gave him an odd look. “No… but it’s classified information. I’m not allowed to tell a civilian mission related details.

“Civilian?” Tim scoffed, dusting the white powder onto his pants. “That’s a bit harsh. Anyway,” he said, changing the subject. “You need more _actual_ food in your house. Let’s go shopping. Where’s the nearest supermarket? I think I saw one on our way here.”

Jason did not want to go. He wanted to lock himself in his room and ignore Tim for the rest of the day. “Later,” he said. He looked Tim up and down. The other noticed and struck a pose. Jason rolled his eyes. “I was _going_ to say that you’re a completely mess, so I’m going to allow you to use my bathroom _this one time_ , given that you clean up after yourself.”

“Really?” Tim asked. “Great! Thanks!” He skipped, _skipped_ , to the bathroom, how he found that on the first try, Jason had no idea.

While Tim showered, Jason cleaned up the damn powdered sugar, and went through his cabinets. There really was a lack of real food in there. He sighed. He would have to go shopping sometime soon.

Jason looked around his living room, a small smile creeping onto his face. It was really nice to be home. No more hotel rooms, no more traveling, no more sneaking around going through Tim’s stuff.

Then, his phone rang.

Jason answered it without looking at the caller ID.

“Hello?”

“Todd,” his boss growled through the line. “Where is Drake?”

Jason’s eyes flickered towards the bathroom. “Er…”

“You _did_ find him a place to stay, yes?”

“Yeah.”

“And where is that? We still need someone to keep an eye on him.”

“…And someone’s doing that,” Jason said with a silent wince.

The Boss was silent for a few beats. “He’s not at your apartment, is he?”

“No…?”

“Todd.”

“Okay, but he didn’t have anywhere else to stay, and I thought you didn’t want him somewhere in a hotel again,” Jason countered.

“Yes,” the Boss ground out. “ _But_ I did not say to take him in like a stray cat! Where is he now?”

“In the bathroom.”

“Where he could be wiring your address to God knows _who_?” the Boss asked incredulously.

“Taking a shower?” Jason said again. He had no idea why exactly he was defending Tim. “He’s _singing_ in there, Boss. Loudly, and badly.”

The Boss sighed. “He’s an _actor_ , Todd. He could be faking this entire time. You should not have brought him to your apartment.”

“Boss, I really, _really_ don’t think he’s in cahoots with the drug lord. No disrespect, sir, but he was kidnapped. We found him in a basement. Guarded, blindfolded, and gagged. I can’t think of one situation where someone would voluntarily be kidnapped to fake something.”

“We must consider all possibilities, Todd,” the Boss said shortly.

Jason sighed heavily. “Boss, I-”

“Keep an eye on him,” the Boss snapped. Then, the line went dead. Jason glared down at his phone. He sighed and shook his head, putting his phone back down. Then, he realized that the sounds from the shower had stopped.

He started towards his bedroom, opening the door, ready to go see if Tim was done in the bathroom yet.

He found Tim sprawled across his bed, asleep. He was wearing one of Jason’s white button-ups, leaving the top three buttons undone, showing his entire torso.

Jason’s lips pressed together, and he crossed his arms. “You’re not fooling anyone, Mr. Drake,” he said.

There was no answer.

“I know you’re awake.”

A quiet snore was his only answer.

“Whatever. I’m going to go get food. If you want anything to eat, you’d better get your ass up.”

He left the bedroom and made a show of walking to the door, opening it and waiting. He waited for five minutes, and there was no sign of Tim. Jason went back to his bedroom to find that Tim _had_ indeed moved.

Into a different position on the bed. Now, he was cuddling one of Jason’s pillows.

Okay, maybe he was asleep. Jason closed the door quietly behind him.

He ordered some food, ate by himself, and put the rest in the fridge. For Tim, he consciously thought.

Then, he decided to fill out some reports and get an update on Tanya from Artemis.

~

“Mr. Todd?” Tim yawned, walking out from the bedroom, his hair sticking up in all directions, and his face creased with lines from the pillows.

Jason looked up from his work. “Oh, you.” He sat up a bit straighter on the couch. “Sit,” he told Tim, nodding at the unoccupied armchair.

Tim shuffled forward and rubbed his eyes. “How long have I been asleep?” Tim asked.

“Eight hours,” Jason grunted.

“And you’ve been working this entire time?” Tim asked.

Jason shrugged. “I have a few questions to ask you.”

Tim groaned. “I already _answered_ questions, Mr. Todd. I don’t want to answer more questions.” Jason fixed him with a tired glare, and Tim sighed. “Fine,” he relented.

“So you don’t know when you got separated from Miss Tanya. When you woke up, you suspected she was already gone?”

Tim nodded. “After I woke up, it was during a moving between two vehicles. I don’t remember hearing Tanya. I didn’t even know she was kidnapped,” he said miserably.

“And you mentioned that they only touched you once after putting you in the basement?”

“Yeah,” Tim said. “I was still blindfolded, but one of them grabbed my finger and pressed it to some surface.”

“They took your fingerprint,” Jason grunted.

“Why?” Tim asked.

Jason shrugged. “Could be for a variety of things. To steal your identity, most likely. But seeing that you’re not just a regular civilian, it would not make much sense to steal _your_ identity.” He stood up and stretched, his shirt riding up. Jason pulled his shirt down and jerked his head towards the kitchen. “I ordered pizza. You can heat it up and eat.”

“Where’re you going?” Tim asked, standing up as well.

“To make a call,” Jason grunted.

“Oh, okay,” Tim said, relaxing a bit. Jason frowned at him for a second longer before ducking into his room to call the Boss. He relayed all the information over again, even though he was sure the Boss already knew all of it from the questioning at the bureau.

“So, do you believe me now?” Jason asked.

The Boss was quiet for a while. “I don’t know,” he said slowly. “I think we should still be keeping an eye on him. However, we also need to put him under witness protection.”

“He’s not going to be happy about that.”

“His temporary dissatisfaction is not more important than his safety at the moment,” the Boss grunted. “Get it done.”

Jason sighed. He waited another couple minutes before going back out. He found Tim sitting crisscrossed on the couch with three slices of cold pizza on a plate and watching TV.

Jason sat down in the armchair. He stared at Tim, a frown on his face.

“What?” Tim asked, taking a big bite. “D’you get fired or something?”

Jason scoffed. “We’re putting you in witness protection,” he said.

Tim’s eyebrows shot up. “Says who?”

“Says my boss,” Jason said. “We’ll be transferring you to a different place to stay until this whole thing blows over.”

Tim frowned, setting his pizza down. “What if I say no?”

Jason groaned and rubbed his face tiredly. “You don’t exactly have a choice, Mr. Drake. It’s for your own good. There are people out for you right now.”

Tim rolled his eyes. “That’s why I’m staying with you, right?”

Jason frowned harder. “I can’t protect you every single hour of the day. It’s the best and safest for you.”

Tim huffed. “Safest for me? Being alone and no one I can trust around me? Doesn’t sound very safe with me. I’m staying. You can’t take me against my wishes.”

It was true. Jason could not _force_ him to go, but he had never run into this problem before. No one has refused witness protection before, as far as Jason knew.

“Think about it,” Jason said.

“No, I’ve made up my mind.”

“Two days,” Jason said again.

Tim just huffed and picked his pizza back up.

Tim mostly ignored Jason for the rest of the day. Jason tried making casual conversation, no able to stand the awkward silence, but Tim cut him down each and every time.

At the end of the day, the first time Tim said to Jason without Jason starting the conversation first was, “I’m going to bed.”

“Okay,” Jason said slowly, looking up from his laptop.

Tim nodded curtly once and spun on his heels and left. A moment later, Jason heard his bedroom door slam shut. He sighed and settled for another night on the couch.

~

The next day, Jason went to make himself breakfast but found his kitchen void of food. He shut the fridge and sighed. He walked to his bedroom and knocked lightly.

A few seconds later, a grumpy “What?” came through the door.

“I’m going to head to the store,” Jason said. “Stay here and stay out of sight.”

Another couple seconds later, the door opened and Tim stood there, wearing Jason’s clothes again, arms crossed and a frown on his face. “I’m coming with you.”

“No, I’m just going for groceries,” Jason said. “You should be seen in public right now. There could still be people after you.”

“Well you can’t exactly protect me if I’m not there, right?” Tim said. He pushed past Jason. “Let’s go.”

They walk a couple blocks to the small grocery store near Jason’s apartment. Jason grabbed a cart, quickly following Tim into the store before he lost the other man.

Immediately, Tim started placing junk foods into the cart. The small cart filled with chips, cereals, cookies, and sugary granola bars. Jason frowned as the cart started filling up with junk.

“I am not buying all that,” Jason said when Tim came back with two tubs of ice cream.

“I’m paying for it,” Tim said. “You can get whatever you want, too.”

Jason made sure to fill the cart with fruits and vegetables and some bread and deli before Tim came back with his next haul.

As they stood in the checkout line, Jason turned to Tim.

“What did Tanya ask of you?” he questioned. “I found a forged note in your hotel room.”

Tim shrugged. “Don’t know. She never got to telling me. We were just going into the room when we got attacked. Didn’t even get a chance to settle in or offer her a drink.”

“The hotel security tape showed the men going into your room not too long after we left. If they had a forged note, knowing that Tanya would have an urgent message for you, maybe they also planned whatever urgent business Tanya came to tell you about?” Jason wondered aloud.

“Maybe,” Tim said. “Again, I’m just about as clueless as you agents. Maybe even more so.”

“So you’re sure you don’t want to go with witness protection? The plan sounds more elaborate than any old kidnapping.”

Tim shut down. He gave Jason a cold look. “No, I don’t want to,” he said. “Please stop asking me, and stop bringing it up.”

Jason frowned, but he shut up. Tim suddenly turned and marched away from the line.

“Hey, Mr. Drake!” Jason called after him. Tim disappeared around the aisles. Jason cursed softly, deciding whether or not to leave the cart to go after Tim.

But a minute later, Tim returned, carrying a round 8-inch birthday cake. The kinds with brightly colored, plastic tasting frosting.

Jason’s eyebrows rose slowly as Tim placed it into the cart.

“I’m paying,” Tim just said. And indeed, he paid. Tim pulled out his credit card and held it out to the cashier. Jason watched as the conveyer belt of junk foods and the occasional fruits and vegetables rolled towards the cashier to scan.

Jason could feel the judgement rolling off of the man, so he sent the cashier a deadly glare.

The man did not look up again.

As Jason watched Tim sign the little screen, confirming his purchase, Jason had a thought. “What if they took your fingerprint for money? To access your bank account? I know the accounts with large amounts of money require a fingerprint to withdraw large amounts, not just a signature.”

“I already contacted the bank and made sure they would contact me by phone specifically before allowing any possibly weird transactions,” Tim said.

They walked back to Jason’s apartment. Jason carried pretty much all the bags, and he felt like his arms were falling off.

Tim had the grapes and the cake.

Jason turned the corner and set the bags in his right hand down, reaching into his pockets to grab his keys. Tim walked a couple of steps behind him, coddling his cake that had the words _Happy Birthday_ written on them. Jason knew it was not Tim’s birthday though.

Jason froze suddenly, causing Tim to run into him. Jason’s eyes narrowed.

“Hey-” Tim said.

“Shh,” Jason hissed. His eyes were trained on the man standing in front of Jason’s apartment, wearing a navy blue sweatshirt with his hands in his pockets and a pair of dark sunglasses covering his eyes.

He was immediately on guard, slowly setting down the groceries in his other hand. “Just follow me close,” Jason whispered. He started walking towards his apartment door. The man spotted them, and his posture changed, straightening. He started taking lengthy strides towards them too.

Jason stood up straighter to make himself seem larger, but the man seemed to completely ignore the fact that he was there. The man went straight for Tim. Jason dropped the grocery bag in his arms, grabbed the man as he strode past and immediately flipped him onto his back.

The man groaned loudly, and Tim gasped. Jason twisted the man’s arm behind him, and the man cried out again.

“Mr. Todd!” Tim said, quickly running the last few steps over. “Stop it! Stop it! You’re  _hurting_ him!”

Jason was about to tell Tim to run off and call the police when Tim continued.

“Stop it! It’s my brother!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! Surprised to see me? Probably not, because I've only been away a couple weeks. But yay, I'm back!
> 
> This was a long chapter, and it was especially hard to write for some reason, probably because there isn't any actual action in this part, and chapter six might also take a little while because it's quite similar to this chapter, action wise. However, from seven on, it will be a crazy (hopefully) ride of events and turns in the plot. So just stick through some relationship building with me (though this is probably what you came for).
> 
> Anyway, I have a little favor to ask of you guys. If you don't mind, would you take a couple minutes to take this [survey](https://goo.gl/forms/2okwkuUvASVi1icm1)? It's for a fic I'm going to be writing at the end of the year. I will be pulling characters from different stories I've written this year and throwing them together into one.
> 
> Thanks a lot, and happy October! <333


	6. That PDA (Promiscuous Deceiving Asshole)

“I am so sorry,” Jason apologized yet again, unlocking his door and pushing it open with his foot. “I didn’t- I swear I wasn’t trying to hurt you. I didn’t know who you were and you were standing in front of my door with your hood up and sunglasses on and-”

“It’s fine, Agent,” Tim’s brother, whose name was Dick, said. “I’ve had worse.”

“Please, it’s Jason,” Jason said. “And are you okay? I may have gone a little hard on your arm.”

“Oh, stop coddling him,” Tim snapped. He set his armful of groceries down on the kitchen table. “He’s fine. He’s just a whiny baby.”

Dick gasped, putting a hand on his chest. “Timmy, I’m wounded. I almost had my shoulder dislocated, so the least you can do is show some sympathy.”

“I was kidnapped a day ago,” Tim said dryly.

Dick flopped down onto the couch, kicking his dirty sneakers up onto the coffee table, making Jason grimace slightly. “Oh, I meant to ask you about that,” Dick said. “But my phone may have broken a couple days ago, and I don’t exactly have your number memorized.”

Tim rolled his eyes. “Seriously. How many phones do you go through each year?”

“Eh, just a few,” Dick said. He nodded at Jason. “I’m sure your hunky roommate goes through more than I do.” He gave Jason a wink.

“I’ve had my current phone for the past two years,” Jason said slowly.

Dick gasped again. “You’re supposed to be on my side, Jay. We agents gotta stick together, no?”

“You work for the FBI, too?” Jason asked, cocking an eyebrow. “I didn’t know that.”

Dick laughed. “No, I work for the CIA, actually. But potato, patato. And on that note, I wanted to extend my thanks but no thanks out to you and your boss on the ‘extra precautions’ that you guys offered to have around my house. But I’m good.”

Jason’s lips pressed together tightly. “Well, at least I know why your brother is so against having extra bodyguards and witness protection.”

“It’s just not practical,” Tim complained. He opened up a new box of cereal and started eating it. “Besides, I like it when it’s just you and me, Mr. Todd.”

Jason gave him a glare, and Dick looked between Tim and Jason a couple times. Then he smiled. “Oh, so it’s like  _that_.”

Jason turned the glare to Dick. “What’s like that?”

“Nothing,” Dick said, casually sliding his eyes away and looking out the window. He had a stupid little smile on his face. Jason did not like it.

“How’d you find my apartment, anyway?” Jason asked.

“I have access to a few databases,” Dick said, smiling sweetly, like it would make Jason any less suspicious of him. “Well, I have a few friends that do.” Jason frowned deeper. Dick smiled even wider. “Sorry about that, though. I just had to make sure my Little Wing is in good hands.” He winked at Tim.

Jason felt a sharp pang of  _something_ that echoed deep within his soul and across the multiple universes at the mention of the nickname. He shook himself and cleared his throat, unsure at the sudden feeling. “And did I pass the test?” he grunted.

“With flying colors,” Dick cheered. “You know, Timbo, if one day you decide that you don’t want Mr. Hunky anymore, feel free to send him my way.” He stood and stretched, a satisfied smile on his face. Dick reminded Jason of a cat that got the canary.

Tim’s face was tinged with pink. “Oh, you wish,” he scoffed. He waved his hand, dismissing Dick. “Now get out of here before I decide not to forgive you for flirting so  _shamelessly_ with my bodyguard.”

Dick sauntered to the door. He gave Tim a little wave and a small wink. He mouthed something at him, but Jason could not read his lips quick enough.

Then, he turned to Jason and blew him a kiss. And he was gone.

Jason started on lunch, deciding on something simple. Grilled cheese sandwiches with a mixed greens salad and some fruit on the side. It was not anything fancy, so Jason was really surprised when Tim complimented his food.

“It’s delicious,” he said, licking up a long strand of cheese. “You should open your own restaurant, Mr. Todd,” he said. “You’ve got the talent.”

Jason chewed thoughtfully. “I’ve thought about it,” he admitted slowly. “But I don’t think it’s for me. I crave the sense of justice too much.”

Tim hummed. “Seems like you,” he said. “Hey, do you think I can have cake for dinner?”

Jason frowned. “Why of all things, cake? I just bought so many other foods.”

Tim pouted. “But I bought the cake. And the other foods. Please?”

He rolled his eyes. “Why are you such a child?” Jason asked, mostly to himself.

“Hey,” Tim said in an accusatory tone. “I’m a fully functioning adult, and because I’m an adult, I can have cake for dinner.”

“Sure, whatever, you can eat cake then,” Jason said. “Your cake anyway.”

Tim beamed.

And that night, that was exactly what Tim did. He sat in front of the TV, watching some cheesy rom-com, the entire cake sitting in his lap, and he ate it with a _spoon_. He did not cut it with a knife, he did not eat with a fork, he did not start from the sides. No, that idiot dug into the center of the frosting covered cake with a spoon. It really pissed Jason off.

After dinner, Tim announced that he was going to take a shower. Jason just grunted in response, busy texting Artemis back and forth in regards to Tanya’s disappearance.

They could not figure out why she was still being kept somewhere. Was Tim not the one they were after? Were they trying to use Tanya as bait? Then why keep her so well hidden?

“Mr. Todd!” came a shout from the shower.

Jason looked up. “What?” he called back.

“How do you work your shower?” Tim asked loudly. “I can’t- I can’t get the hot water on!”

Jason rolled his eyes. “Just turn the knob the other way!”

“What?!” Tim screeched. “It’s freezing, please come help me!”

Jason sighed heavily and stood, heading over to the bathroom. He knocked. “You better not be naked.” He pushed the door open, and of course, Tim was naked, standing under and freezing spray of water, shivering.

Jason glared at him, twisting the knob the other way and a few seconds later, Tim relaxed.

“Thanks, Mr. Todd,” he said with a weak smile.

“Yeah, whatever,” Jason said. He left the bathroom, cleaned up his workspace and decided to take a quick shower as well. He ducked into the other, smaller bathroom. The water was only mildly warm, not the steaming hot he preferred.

Thankfully, however, Tim had not finished yet, so Jason got dressed quickly and climbed into his own bed. He turned on the TV and just scrolled through news channels.

A few minutes later, the shower turned off and Tim stepped out of the bathroom, a towel in his hair, and one around his waist.

He crossed the room to Jason’s closet without a word. Jason frowned, watching him.

Tim looked through Jason’s clothes, judging them before choosing a large black sweatshirt. He dropped the towel, and Jason quickly looked away with a sigh. He really had enough of the sight of Tim’s ass that evening.

Tim really took his time getting dressed. He struggled to get the oversized sweatshirt over his head, and he also went through Jason’s underwear drawer before pulling out a pair of Jason’s boxers.

Jason was rather annoyed now, but he still kept his mouth shut.

Then, Tim sauntered over to the bed and crawled in next to Jason.

“Dude!” Jason said angrily. “What are you doing?”

Tim blinked at him. “What? I’m going to sleep.”

He groaned. “Do you have no _shame_?” he asked in frustration.

Tim just looked confused, his eyebrows furrowing and his head cocking to the side a bit.

“You take the couch today,” Jason snapped. “It’s my bed.”

Tim stuck out his bottom lip in a pout. “But what if I get kidnapped, Mr. Todd? What if someone sneaks in while you’re asleep and just takes me because I’m on the couch? Will you be able to live with that guilt?”

“Yes,” Jason said through gritted teeth.

“But the couch will irritate my skin,” Tim tried again. “I have delicate skin, Mr. Todd. I bruise easily, and I’m really sensitive to certain fabrics. I have to sleep in the bed.”

“Well I’m sure as not moving to the couch again,” Jason snapped. “So move your little ass out of here.” He then turned over, away from Tim, slid under into the covers, turned the TV off, and flicked the lamp off as well. Tim would move soon enough.

The next morning, Jason woke up, looking at the ceiling. Tim’s warm breath ghosted over his neck. Jason stiffened immediately and pushed Tim away roughly.

Tim jerked awake with a soft gasp, nearly falling off the other side of the bed, but he grabbed onto Jason’s arm at the last second.

“Mr. Todd!” Tim squealed. He pulled himself back up and crawled up next to Jason again.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Jason snapped. “Do you have no sense of personal space? What the fuck?!”

Tim stared at him. “Why are you so against two guys just sleeping in a bed together? Or living together for that matter?” he asked curiously.

“I’m not _against_ it,” Jason snarled. “It’s just not _me_.”

“How do you know?” Tim asked, eyes wide, his head tilted to the side, observing Jason again.

Jason sputtered, unable to tell if Tim was serious or not. “I’ve- I’ve never liked a guy before? And I’ve never had the urge to- to be in bed with a man?”

“But have you ever _tried_?” Tim asked.

“No!” Jason said, frowning. “But it doesn’t matter!”

“You should try,” Tim advised seriously. Then, he smiled. “And there’s no better time than the present,” he announced.

Then, he leaned forward, using his hands to support himself on Jason’s thighs, and kissed him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I might've broken that part of my fangirl heart reserved for JayDick. I didn't MEAN to, it just kinda happened. It was actually an accident, and I didn't mean to have Dick call Tim Little Wing, but when he did, I kinda broke for a while, but I kept it because I shouldn't be the only one to suffer.
> 
> Anyway, I've started on my JayDick vampire fic, and it should be out next week, if I'm not wrong. Updates for my JonDami fic will be starting again at the end of this week, and I have three updates for this story in just this week alone. You guys can check out my Tumblr for more information on my updates and stuff.
> 
> Thanks for reading, leave a comment! <3


	7. Jay Is Not Gay

“What the hell?!” Jason shouted after pushing Tim away roughly. “What the fuck was that? I fucking told you I’m not into that kind of stuff! I don’t care if you are, you can bed whoever the fuck you want, but can you just respect my thoughts and fucking personal space?”

Tim sat back and watched Jason as he ranted.

When Jason finished, panting hard, he glared at Tim, sitting on the side of the bed now.

“Do you feel any different?” Tim asked.

“I fucking said no! It hasn’t changed after you- after you kissed me!” Jason said, growing red. He cannot believe he is yelling this right now.

Tim just shrugged. “Okay,” he said. “I got the point. Just wanted to see if it made a difference.” He slid out of bed. “I’m going to go give Dick a call.”

“Whatever,” Jason snapped, turning his back on Tim.

Tim slipped out, closing the bedroom door behind him. Jason seethed in bed for a while, glaring at the blank TV. The nerve on Timothy Drake is unbelievable, and Jason really hated it. How many occasions, in the short time that Jason has known Tim, has Tim completely crossed over boundaries that should not be crossed? Way too many, for sure.

He needed to relieve some stress. He slid out of bed and walked over to his dresser, pulling open the top drawer. He dug into the back and pulled out a pack of cigarettes. He pulled one out and grabbed the lighter as well.

He walked to the small balcony, opening the door and stepping out. He lit his cigarette and stuck it between his lips, taking a long drag, feeling the smoke fill his lungs. He breathed out, and he could physically feel the tension leaving his body.

Jason did not smoke often. It was not good for his body, he knew it, but he occasionally needed to relax a bit. This was one of those times.

Jason leaned on the balcony, looking over the alleyway three stories below him. A stray cat weaved its way between some trashcans.

A couple minutes later, the door to the bedroom opened quietly again. Jason heard soft padding footsteps approach him. His shoulders tensed a bit, but Jason did not move. He took another drag from his cigarette, tapping it over the railing of his balcony.

“I didn’t know you smoked,” Tim said, appearing on the other side of Jason.

Jason did not answer for a moment. “I don’t. Often.”

“Hm. Then you must be really stressed out over something that you feel the need to smoke,” Tim said casually.

Jason ignored him.

Tim flipped around, leaning back on his elbows so he can look up at Jason. “You know,” he said. “You’re really frazzled by some stupid kiss for someone who doesn’t like guys.”

“I’m upset,” Jason snapped.

“I’m just saying,” Tim said slowly. “If it doesn’t mean anything, why keep thinking about it? I’m not.”

Jason glared daggers at Tim out of the corner of his eye. Tim had his eyebrows raised with an ‘I-told-you-so’ look in his eyes.

“Maybe you are gay,” Tim suddenly quipped.

“I am _not_ ,” Jason gritted out, tensing up further. So much for relaxing with a cigarette. “And even if I _were_ , I would never kiss you again.”

Tim laughed. “Why’s that? Am I not gorgeous? Don’t you feel hot just looking at me in your clothes, Mr. Todd?”

Jason scoffed, rolling his eyes. “One, you make me extremely uncomfortable, two, I don’t like you _at all_ , and even if I did like kissing guys, kissing you disgusts me.”

Tim’s smirking smile disappeared. He was silent for a moment. “I get it,” he said softly, his voice suddenly with a touch of something else. “I’ll leave you alone to finish smoking then.” He walked back into the room. Jason turned and watched as Tim left the bedroom as well.

He scoffed and turned back around, glad to be able to finish his smoke in silence. He took another long drag and released and the little part that kept telling him that he said something wrong finally shut up.

~

Jason walked into the living room later, cleaned up and dressed, and Tim was sitting on the couch, eating cereal straight out of the box. He made a disgusted face, but decided he did not want to strike up another conversation with Tim.

Tim was facing the TV, but the TV was off. Jason ignored Tim and made his own breakfast of some toast with jam. He grabbed his jacket off the couch and frowned at Tim for a moment.

“I’m going to work,” he said stiffly.

“Okay,” Tim said. “When will you be back?” He looked up at Jason, chewing his Lucky Charms loudly.

Jason grimaced. “I’ve got a lot of work to catch up on.”

“Oh, okay.” Tim swallowed. “What am I supposed to do in that time?” he asked.

“Do whatever you want,” Jason said. “I don’t care.” He opened his door and slipped on his shoes.

“But what time are you-”

“I’m leaving,” Jason cut him off loudly.

Tim shut up. He watched Jason leave. “Bye, Mr. Todd,” he said quietly.

Jason drove to work, frowning the entire time. Was he was bit too harsh on Tim? Tim technically did not push him verbally in any way this time, but Jason still snapped at him.

Jason shook his head, glaring at the pedestrians crossing in front of his car. No, it was Tim’s fault. He was the one who kissed him against his will in the first place.

He arrived at the bureau, and Artemis immediately swept him away. “Todd,” she barked. “Finally. I’ve been working my ass off on my case while you’ve been at home nursing your little boyfriend.”

Jason was immediately about to snap at her, but Artemis continued talking.

“I’ve gone over the facts several times,” she said. “But things still don’t add up. We know that Drake was kidnapped, his manager was not expected to be there, yet they’re still holding her. They took Drake’s fingerprint, right? But there’s been no sign of action yet. Are they biding their time?”

“They could be,” Jason said, flipping through the manila folder Artemis handed him. “And there really still is no trace of the manager?”

“No,” Artemis said with a sigh. “Not only that, but there is literally no trace of her. I tried looking into her to see if she had family I could contact, but there’s nothing on her. No family members, alive at least, no friends or other relatives. Her landlord also knows little to nothing about her other than the fact that she moved in three years ago, from overseas.”

Jason’s eyebrows twitched and his frown deepened a little on a picture of Tim. He quickly flipped to the next page.

“What about her past? Childhood? There has to be someone that knows something about her,” Jason said, scanning through the information on Tanya.

Artemis shrugged. “That’s what I thought. But as far as I know, I traced her past back ten years, and then it just…”

“Just what?”

“There’s nothing on her after that,” she said. She frowned. “According to her job application, she’s 30, so I only got back to her junior year in college. But when I contacted her college asking if they had more information on her, the dean of her college said that there is no Tanya Albertelli that ever went to that college.”

Jason looked up. “Really? That’s certainly interesting. Why didn’t you tell me that?”

“I just found out a few hours ago,” Artemis said. “My sources just got back to me. So as you can see, it’s a giant mess.”

“No birth records or anything?” Jason asked, slowly flipping the page. His eyes flitted down for a moment to see another picture of Tim. He shut the folder.

“Nope. None that matches her age, her apparent parentage or anything. The only other Tanya Albertelli we could find that was the same age as her is this 30 year old woman who has been in a coma since twelve years ago. And they don’t look anything alike.”

Jason frowned. “Twelve years ago…”

“I know what you’re thinking,” Artemis said. “But we can’t exactly use that as a lead,” she said. “We already know there’s something going on with her, but we don’t have any information on her whereabouts now. For all we know, she’s fled the country already. Or if she's innocent, she could be dead right now.”

Jason spent the day at work, completely distracted. He had a few stacks of paperwork, but he only got through half a stack that day. His mind wandered between Tanya and Tim.

Jason growled quietly and pulled at his hair. He still could not stop thinking about that stupid kiss. On top of that, Tim’s teasing voice kept saying, “You’re really frazzled by some stupid kiss for someone who doesn’t like guys”, over and over again.

He glanced up at the clock. It was about four in the afternoon. He looked at his paperwork. At this rate, he would not go home until ten tonight. Jason leaned back in chair and rubbed his face with his hands.

Then he sat straight up and frowned hard.

He just got the sudden urge to _call_ Tim and _check up_ on him. What was wrong with him? That damn idiot had managed to worm his way into every part of Jason’s life and it was driving him crazy.

“No,” Jason growled aloud. He would not check up on Tim. He was not that man’s babysitter anymore.

He pulled himself up to his desk again and resumed working.

~

Four hours later, Jason finally started back to his apartment. After some consideration, he picked up a pizza because knowing Tim, he probably just ate cake again.

Jason pushed the door to his apartment open. It was dark and quiet inside. Jason walked in and tossed his jacket onto the couch and set the pizza on the kitchen table. He flicked on the light in the kitchen. The open box of cereal sat on the table. Jason frowned when he saw it. Did Tim not know how to clean up after himself at all? Especially in another person’s house?

Jason glanced around but saw no sign of the other man. He better not be sleeping in Jason’s bed again.

Jason started to stomp to his bedroom but stopped when he saw a bright yellow post-it on his coffee table. He walked over and picked it up, walking back to the kitchen to read it.

Jason squinted, struggling to make out words from the messy handwriting.

_Mr. Todd,_

_In case you get back before I do, I went to the store to get more cereal. Tired of the Lucky Charms. Buy me some food, preferably Chinese, thanks!_

_Love,  
Tim_

Jason frowned, looking around his apartment again. He rushed to the bedroom and wretched the door open. It was as dark and as empty as the living room and kitchen. He checked both bathrooms. He checked the other bedroom, the one he used for storage. No one.

Jason ran back to his kitchen and grabbed his phone. With shaking fingers, he dialed Artemis.

He put the phone to his ear and waited for her to pick up. Jason’s heartbeat thudded loudly in his own ears. He glanced at the green digital numbers on the microwave. It was fifteen minutes past ten.

The grocery store had closed had closed over four hours ago.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So much drama! I personally love drama, ugh, it's amazing and horrible at the same time. 
> 
> At least you won't have to worry about not getting an answer for possibly another ten months, since the next chapter will be up in two days' time! Again, lots of drama coming up. I know this is a bit of a slow burn fic, and I can promise you that there will be seemingly no progress in their relationship until the very, very end. But don't worry, I didn't completely forget about that.
> 
> Also, I found it a bit ironic, since today is National Coming Out Day (in the US, at least), so there's that too.
> 
> Anyway, hope you enjoyed! Leave a comment! <3


	8. Picture Perfect

Jason had called Artemis, and immediately afterwards, the Boss. He had no idea what to do.

But neither of them were helpful at all.

“Todd, Drake could have just left,” the Boss grunted, sounding tired. There was a child screaming on the other end of his line. Were those _profanities_ Jason was hearing? “Maybe he left the note and walked off.”

“That doesn’t make sense!” Jason argued. “He seemed fine this morning. There wasn’t anything out of the ordinary, really,” Jason said.

“But there are no signs of struggle,” the Boss said. There were more background noises, then the Boss sighed heavily. “You want me to send people over to look over your apartment? I doubt they’ll find anything you haven’t, yet,” he said.

“I want them to look through the grocery store,” Jason demanded. “The camera feeds. That’s where we caught the last captors.”

“Todd, we can’t just barge into a closed grocery store at midnight. We’ll have to wait until the next morning.”

“It’ll be too late by then,” Jason growled.

“Why do you suddenly care so much about Drake?” the Boss asked suddenly. “You seemed to hate him earlier today.”

“He was my responsibility,” Jason said. “He got kidnapped on my watch. Again.”

“You don’t know he’s kidnapped,” the Boss said. “Since he is an adult, and there are no signs of struggle or proof of his kidnapping anywhere, we can’t just assume-”

“It’s _out of character_ , Boss,” Jason gritted out. “Trust me. It’s not like him to just… walk out! He’s so damn clingy, he just- he won’t do that.”

“You seem confident, Todd,” the Boss snorted. “Fine, I’ll send a couple people over for now to see if they find anything around your apartment or on the way to the store, but we’ll have to wait until the store opens the next morning to get the security feeds.”

“Fine,” Jason huffed.

~

“Boss is right, Jay,” Artemis said softly. “Maybe Drake did just walk out. By what you’re telling me, you _were_ kind of a jerk that morning.”

“Yes, but I’ve been an asshole before,” Jason said. “He’s never _left_.”

Artemis laughed. “You sound like a clingy boyfriend, Jason. Look, Boss has got people on the lookout already, right? There’s nothing we can do anymore now. Just get some sleep, Jay. It won’t do you or your little _not_ boyfriend any good for you to be stressing out all night.”

Jason growled. “I’m still not convinced he just upped and left.”

“Sorry, Jay,” Artemis said seriously. “But if he really did get kidnapped again, we _will_ find him. You know that right?”

“Yeah,” Jason said quietly. “Thanks, A. Night.”

“Good night, Jason. Get some sleep.”

“Okay, bye.”

“Bye.”

Jason ended the call and leaned back into his pillows. He stared up at the dark ceiling, thinking hard. It frustrated him that neither Artemis or the Boss thought that Tim was in trouble again.

While it did seem a bit unlikely for Tim to have been tracked all the way back to the store near Jason’s house, seeing that they only went out for about half an hour on one day, Jason just knew.

He had this sick feeling in his stomach that churned and churned, uncomfortable enough to be noticeable.

Jason slid down into the covers and turned onto his side. He lay on the pillow Tim had slept on the night before. Jason let his eyes close, and he could almost feel the phantom of Tim there in the bed next to him as well.

Was Artemis right? Maybe Tim really did leave because Jason had been a dick to him. He had to admit, his words were quite harsh, no doubt about that. But Tim always forgave him. So why was this time any different? Jason started overthinking and overanalyzing every word they exchanged that morning.

His mind floated back to the kiss. Jason’s eyebrows furrowed a bit, but his eyes stayed closed. He touched his lips gently with his hand. He found that he kind of missed Tim’s constant, overbearing presence. His apartment felt empty without Tim there, even though Tim had only been there a day and a half. How odd.

He shivered and opened his eyes again.

He was not doing this again, not now.

Jason screwed his eyes shut once more, banishing those thoughts from his head. He thought about the case instead. Another couple hours ticked by before he finally drifted off to sleep, his face pressed into the pillow that smelled faintly of another young man.

Jason woke up early the next morning after five hours of sleep. He dragged himself to the shower, stopping in the doorway. Tim’s clothes littered the floor. Jason sighed and he stooped over to pick up Tim’s jeans.

As he did so, a picture fell out of the pocket of his jeans.

Jason picked that up as well. He flipped it over, his eyes widening.

It was the picture Tim had taken of him with the two girls and Jason, on the day they went to the mall to get Tanya’s present. When did Tim get this printed?

He examined the picture. Tim had his hand around Jason’s arm, pulling him down into the frame. A huge smile split Tim’s face in half as he looked into the camera. Jason was scowling down at him. One of the two girls only had half her face in the picture, the other one only had her eyes and her hair in it.

The picture was folded and creased heavily down the middle. Jason folded the picture and noticed that it cut the picture in half. The girls on one side, and Tim and Jason on the other.

Jason flipped the picture back over again, opening it up again. In sparkly green gel pen, it said, “ _Me and Jay :)_ ” Jason stared at the messy handwriting for a long time. He ran his thumb over it, feeling the slight indents from the pen. His thumb came back covered in glitter.

Jason turned the picture back over and looked at himself and Tim. Subconsciously, he started smiling. Tim looked so happy in that picture, despite the fact that Jason was glaring daggers at him.

Jason suddenly dropped to his knees onto the bathroom floor. He sat with his back leaning against the wall, his head turned upwards. There was a dull, painful thudding in his heart.

He had to find Tim. He just _had_ to. Jason did not consciously know why, but his subconscious was telling him that the idiot would solve that horrible feeling in his chest.

Jason set the picture onto the side of the sink and got into the shower, letting himself soak until the scalding water for a while before stepping out. He took Tim’s clothes, dropped them into the laundry basket, and got dressed again.

He tucked Tim’s picture into his own pocket.

Then, he got his phone and dialed a number he never thought he had to dial.

Finally, someone picked up.

“Hello?” came a tired, half-asleep voice.

“Is this… Dick?” Jason asked hesitantly.

“Er, yeah,” Dick yawned. “Who’s this?”

“Uh, Jason? We met the other day-”

“Oh, _Jason_!” Dick said, suddenly sounding much more awake. “What’s up? Got tired of my little brother already?” he joked.

Jason swallowed hard, not laughing. “Dick…” he said slowly, a slight crack in his voice.

“What is it? Jason? Are you okay?” Dick asked urgently, suddenly serious. “Do you want me to come over? Is Tim okay? What’s wrong?”

Jason took a deep breath. “No?” he answered. “Things aren’t really okay. I don’t- Tim’s _gone_.”

“Gone?” Dick repeated. “Did he- Oh my god, did he get kidnapped again?”

Jason did not answer, unable to repeated it one more time.

“Fuck,” Dick cursed. Jason waited for him to start yelling at him. “You want me to come over?” Dick asked instead.

Jason was nearly shocked out of his guilt. “Wh-What?”

“Do you want me to come over?” Dick repeated slower.

“But why?” Jason asked. “Aren’t you- You’re not mad at me?”

“Mad? Why would I be mad?” Dick asked, sounding seriously confused.

“I- Your brother may have just been kidnapped again because I wasn’t watching him?!” Jason asked incredulously.

“You’re not his babysitter,” Dick said. “I don’t expect you to be watching him every second of the day. Besides, wouldn’t you get tired of him? And even if you are his boyfriend, I’m sure you’ll want your own space at times. So no, I don’t blame you.”

“What.”

Dick was silent a moment. “Shit, sorry! I, uh,” he gave an embarrassed laugh. “Sorry. I thought, um, heh, in _my_ mind, I imagined that you guys were dating and all that.”

“Imagined.”

“Yeah. Like, I knew you weren’t, not yet, but… sorry.”

Jason just cleared his throat, blushing horribly. He was glad Dick could not see him. “Anyway, I just called to tell you about… well.”

“Thank you,” Dick said. “You’ll keep me updated, yes?”

“Of course,” Jason promised. “I’m so sorry, Dick.”

“No,” Dick said, actually sounding less worried that Jason. “You’ll find him, I know it.”

Jason frowned slightly, puzzled. “What do you mean?”

Dick just laughed mysteriously. “I just… know. I trust you, Jay. After all, I wouldn’t have left him with you if I didn’t.”

“Okay…” Jason said slowly, not quite getting what Dick was implying, but he had a feeling. “Thanks for not yelling at me.”

“It’s fine,” Dick said softly. “Just make sure to find him.”

“Done,” Jason breathed out in relief, smiling a bit. “Thank you, Dick. Really.”

“No problem,” Dick said.

“Alright, bye,” Jason said. “I’ll give you another call once I find out some more.”

“Okay, bye, Jay,” Dick said.

Jason ended the call and held his phone tightly in his hand. He stared down at the dark screen, a determined expression coming over his face.

He will find Tim again. Even if Artemis and the Boss were right, and Tim _was_ hiding from him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aw, it kind of hurts. I maybe a chapter late, but anyone want to guess what's going to happen? I think I gave away a tiny bit too much with this chapter, but it's okay. I still want to hear your theories.
> 
> And I also have a rant, but you can skip this: I was supposed to be doing homework, and I got sidetracked, ended up jumping from website to website and somehow ended up watching clips of Teen Titans Go on Youtube. Let me just clarify, that I have never watched Teen Titans Go ANYTHING before today, and I'm think I might be traumatized? It was amusing in a cringy "wow, kids shows these days" way, but I'm so, so, so disturbed at how... dark it actually is??? Obviously the kids aren't supposed to get those darker themes, but it was honestly terrifying. I didn't understand a ton of the plot lines either (probably because I skipped around). Anyway, that show just shattered all my carefully constructed views of the precious characters from the comics. Especially Nightwing. I must erase my mind of it, and I swear I shall never watch that again. Sorry if you do actually like that show or liked it as a kid or something, idk. It's just a really different experience watching a kids' show when you're no longer a kid.
> 
> ANYWAY, hope you enjoyed this and leave me a comment! <3


	9. Harboring Secrets

Jason was at the store half an hour before it opened, waiting for Artemis. There were already a few agents there, scouring the surroundings and questioning the other shopkeepers in the area. But so far, nothing.

Jason paced in front of the closed doors, peering inside every other minute.

Finally, a black suburban pulled up in front of the store. Artemis stepped out of the passenger’s side, lifting her black sunglasses and walking towards Jason with purposeful strides.

Her long red hair was tied up in a high ponytail, and she stopped in front of him, her lips pursed, her hands on her hips.

“You didn’t sleep much, did you?” she asked in a disappointed voice.

Jason glared at her, quite aware of the dark circles until his eyes. “Great observation,” he snorted. “No, I did not sleep much.”

“Why, Jay?” she asked, sighing. “For _once_ , why can’t you just listen to me?”

“You’re not my mother.”

“No, I’m not, and I shouldn’t have to act like your mother either,” she growled.

Just then, another car pulled up at the curb. The manager of the grocery store stepped out, sending Jason and Artemis apologetic smiles.

“I’m sorry, agents,” he said, digging into his pockets for the keys. “I was running a bit late, and my kids-”

“Just open the doors,” Jason said. “We’ll take care of everything else. When your employees come in, have them come talk to us. And please get us the tapes from your security cameras from all of yesterday.”

“Ah, yes, sir, right away,” the manager said, his bald head glistening in the early morning sun.

Artemis glared at him, but Jason pointedly looked away.

As the employees came in one by one, Artemis had them answering questions in the break room. Only two of them had seen Tim walk in the day before, mostly because of all the commotion he had caused. It had been right after lunch, so most of them were not yet back from their lunch breaks yet.

According to the two ladies, Tim came in wearing an oversized hoodie (probably Jason’s) and he had the hood up with dark sunglasses, a rather stupid disguise. Either way, he was quickly spotted by a young couple, who recognized him.

They were talking excitedly in the aisles, pointing and whispering at Tim. The employees said that Tim chatted with them, then was approached by another girl.

They did not know anything else past that.

Thankfully, a glance at the security feed filled in the gaps.

Jason sat in the tiny office of the manager, rewinding the tape to about one in the afternoon on the crappy laptop the manager used.

He watched as Tim walked in, dressed in the oversized hoodie (definitely Jason’s) and he looked rather ridiculous. He headed straight for the cereal aisle. There, Tim spent a few minutes debating which cereal he should purchase. Which was stupid, since he just ended up grabbing another box of Lucky Charms. Tim was approached by the couple then.

He exchanged a few words with them, giving the girl a hug, and the guy a handshake. He smiled and laughed. Jason frowned. In public, Tim was so put together, formal, and polite (most of the time, at least). So why could he not act that way in private as well?

Tim left the cereals and headed towards the checkout, but he paused and went to the bread section as well. He came back with a baguette.

As Tim was making his purchases, he was approached by another girl. This girl was alone.

She seemed shy about approaching Tim. Jason frowned and watched more closely.

The girl talked to him, and Tim spoke back, the same comfortable demeanor as he had with the couple. Jason could not read their lips clearly, but it seemed harmless enough.

The girl continued to talk to Tim, following him out of the store completely. And that was it.

Jason rewinded the tapes again, this time looking for when the second girl came in. As far as Jason knew, she was the last person who ever saw Tim.

Tim was in the cereal aisle when the girl came in. She did not look around the store, instead heading purposefully towards the candy aisle, right next to the cereal aisle. She stood in front of the king sized Kit Kats, just _staring_ at them. Directly on the other side of the shelf, Tim was chatting with the couple.

Jason growled. How had he not noticed that girl standing there before? Something was definitely up with her. When Tim walked away, she followed. She always stayed a while away, looking down at the ground and following Tim. She only approached him when he got to the checkout line.

Jason pushed the chair back hard. He stormed out of the office, pulling Artemis away from talking with another agent.

“I need you to find out who that girl is,” he hissed, dragging her over to the office. He sat her down and made her watch the tapes. “See, her. She’s acting extremely suspicious. Who just stands there and listens to another person’s conversation like that? It’s like she not even trying to hide the fact that she’s eavesdropping!”

“Jason,” Artemis said slowly. “She really could just be a fan or something. There’s nothing suggesting that she took him.”

“Find out who she is!”

“We will,” Artemis said. “But because she’s the last person seen with Drake. Not because we’re suspecting her of foul play.” She raised an eyebrow at Jason. “Right?”

Jason gritted his teeth, his fingers grabbing the top of the office chair tightly.

“And knowing Drake,” Artemis said. “He probably went off with the girl and forgot to tell you or something. He might be standing in front of your apartment door right now.”

Jason’s nostrils flared. He straightened stiffly. “Yeah, maybe.” He turned on his heels and left.

Jason stepped outside of the store, pulling out a pack of cigarettes. The pack was already half gone. Damn, he really had not wanted to get back into smoking. But fuck that, he need one right now.

Jason crossed the street and ducked into a nearby alleyway, lighting up and taking a long drag. He leaned his head back against the brick wall, closing his eyes.

Artemis was probably right. Jason was getting too worked up over nothing. It was quite like Tim to just forget to mention something or get easily distracted. So he probably did go home with the girl. And he probably did forget to call Jason. And he probably is in front of Jason’s apartment right now, wondering why Jason was not answering the door.

Let him wait there a little longer, that asshole.

Jason finished his smoke and dropped the butt onto the ground. He squished it with his shoe. He went to go kick it away under the Dumpster when he spotted something.

Jason squatted down and peered under the Dumpster. His heart skipped a beat. There was an unopened box of Lucky Charms in the unmistakable red box and next to it, a baguette bag with a rat currently chewing at the bread inside.

Jason was never going to just trust Artemis’ words again.

~

Jason found himself pacing the alleyway, up and down while forensics looked over the area, taking samples and marking up places with their little tools. Artemis stood on the other side of the caution tape, glaring at Jason.

“Stop pacing,” she snapped. “It’s not doing anyone any good.”

“You said he was _fine_.”

“I said probably,” Artemis said. “We were still looking into it, weren’t we? I’ve sent the footage of the girl over to the bureau to have to scan for her, but we can’t do much until then. There were no eyewitnesses here, no reports of seeing people being kidnapped or anything weird.”

Jason growled. “I know. It’s either I pace or I smoke.”

“Go home, Agent Todd,” Artemis said tiredly. “You’re no use to us right now. If I reported your behavior to the Boss, he’d take you off the case immediately. So I’m doing you a favor. Sleep it off. I’ll call you if there’s anything new, okay?”

Jason stared at her for a long time. “Arte-”

“It’s not up for negotiation,” she said firmly. “Just… sort yourself out first, okay? I’m more than capable.” She gave him a small smile. “Don’t worry. I’ll find your little boyfriend in no time.”

Jason scowled. “He’s not my _boyfriend_.”

“Is that what’s been keeping you up all night?” Artemis snorted. Before Jason could retort again, she lifted the caution tape line. “I’m kidding, Jay. Just go home.”

Jason hesitated for one more second before ducking under the tape. “The minute you find anything.”

“To the second,” Artemis promised, waving him away. “Now go.”

Jason walked home slowly. Tim was not waiting in front of his door, or inside. Jason took off his work clothes, stripping down to his boxers and started to his bedroom. On his way there, he nearly tripped over Tim’s shirt, which did not make it completely into the laundry basket.

He picked it up slowly. Jason smoothed out the fabric, rubbing it between his fingers.

Then, he held it to his chest. Fuck, what was he doing? Jason went back out and dug the picture of them out of his clothes and flopped onto his bed.

In the darkness, with Tim’s shirt clutched tightly against his chest with one hand, and the folded picture of them in his left, Jason lay there. He stared at the picture of them, especially of Tim’s face. He looked unreasonably happy.

Jason flipped it over to look over Tim’s loopy handwriting yet again. All the glitter from the pen had been wiped away from the amounts of times Jason had swiped his finger over the words.

Jason felt a dull thump in his heart and he turned over onto his side, letting the picture drop onto his bed. Jason breathed in deeply, smelling Tim on the shirt. It was stronger than the scent left on his pillows, which comforted Jason more.

He closed his eyes. Why was he feeling this way? Every second Tim was there, Jason wanted him gone. But now that he was gone, why did he want him back?

Jason did not have an answer for that. He reached blindly for his phone, and he called Dick.

It took a few rings for Dick to pick up. “Hello?”

“Dick,” Jason said. “I- I don’t know what to do.”

“Do you want to come over and talk about it?”

Jason was silent for a few moments, considering. “Can I?”

“Of course,” Dick said immediately. “I have the day off today, so.”

“I don’t want to intrude,” Jason protested.

“No, no,” Dick said quickly. “I’ll text you my address. Then come over and we’ll talk.”

“Okay,” Jason sighed. “Thanks.”

Dick’s voice was warm. “Sure thing, Jay.”

Jason leapt out of bed, leaving Tim’s shirt in his bed and he got dressed again. He followed the address Dick texted him and drove down to Dick’s house in upper Gotham.

“Hey, agent,” Dick said when he opened the door. He took in Jason’s haggard state and his smile fell a bit. “Oh. Er, come in.” Dick stepped aside. “You want something to drink?”

“Vodka,” Jason grumbled, walking inside.

“Not alcohol,” Dick warned at the same time. Was Jason that predictable?

“Coffee, I guess,” Jason relented. He dropped down onto the couch, groaning. Dick left the room for a minute and came back with a plate of cookies, and a glass of milk.

"You don't need more caffeine," Dick said. He set it down on the coffee table and watched Jason intently for a few seconds. “I’m assuming you found something on Tim?”

“Not really,” Jason said, reaching for a cookie. “My suspicions were confirmed though. Something happened to him. They’re still running tests at the moment.”

Dick huffed.

“You’re not very alarmed by all this,” Jason noted.

Dick shrugged. “Tim gets into all sorts of trouble. He’s been kidnapped a couple times before.”

“You mean this isn’t the first time something like this has happened to him?” Jason asked.

“First time FBI was involved,” Dick said. “But he’s been taken by crazed fans before and all. And once by his stepmother.”

“His stepmother kidnapped him?” Jason asked, eyebrows shooting up.

“Yeah,” Dick said with a sigh. “She was pregnant at the time and afraid Tim would inherit all his father’s things and her unborn child would not get any of it. So she kidnapped him, did a shitty job of it, and police found her easily. She was sent to jail, obviously, and it was ironic because she had a miscarriage anyway.”

Then Dick snorted. “On top of that, it was not actually Tim’s father’s child either. She was having an affair.”

“Oh, wow,” Jason said, frowning. “That’s… wow.”

“Yeah. So what is up with all this? Is it the same people as last time?” Dick asked.

Jason shrugged. He picked up the glass of milk. He drank deeply from it. He took another bite of the cookie, chewed, and swallowed. Then, he opened his mouth and told Dick everything.

~

Around noon, Jason got a call from Artemis.

As soon as he picked up, she said, “We were looking through traffic cams and followed a suspicious looking car out of town,” she said. “It ended up at the ports. We’ve narrowed it down to three possible buildings. We have people at each spot right now, but it’s probably most possible to be this shipment warehouse. So get your ass down here right now if you want to be the first to welcome your little boyfriend back home.”

Jason quickly stood and grabbed his jacket. Dick sat up. “What is it?” he asked.

“I have to go,” Jason said quickly. “They have  lead on your brother. I, uh, I’ll call you as soon as I can if there’s news.” He started towards the door, slowing a moment to give Dick a small smile. “Thanks.”

Dick nodded. “Of course,” he said. “Feel free to drop by anytime. Now go do your job.”

Jason nodded briefly and left. He ran to his car and drove to the address Artemis sent him. He drove as fast as he could without breaking every single traffic law.

He pulled up in front of the warehouse with a screech. There were agents going around, leading struggling thugs out in handcuffs. Artemis was standing in the middle of it all, barking orders left and right.

Jason ran up to her. “Is he here?” he asked.

Her tight lipped grimace told him all he needed to know. Then, Artemis tossed her head in another direction. Jason followed her gaze to see her nodding at a tied up and furious looking Tanya Albertelli.

“Wh-What?” Jason asked. “If she’s here… where’s Drake?”

Artemis glared back over at Tanya. “Good question,” she said. “Ask her. She refused to talk to anyone else.”

Jason stumbled over to Tanya in a haze. She sneered at him, with none of the shyness he remembered.

“Agent Todd,” she said. “I knew there was something off about you.”

“Tanya…” Jason said. “What is this?”

She laughed cruelly. “This is me winning, agent.”

Jason frowned. “Who are you? You- _You_ planned all this, didn’t you? You faked your own kidnapping to throw us off!”

“And look how well I did,” she sneered. “I had what I wanted, I had what I needed. But those _incompetent_ idiots couldn’t keep that little boyfriend of yours in check.” She growled. “Whatever. Doesn’t matter to me anymore. I got the money, and I found him by tracking his credit card use. Perks of being his manager,” she sneered.

“Where did you take him?” he growled.

“He’s headed over to Spain right now,” she said. “You’re too late. When my boss gets his hands on the little brat, we’ll finally have a bargaining chip.”

“What do you plan to do with him, Tanya?” Jason asked, his hands curling into fists at his sides.

“Like I’d tell you,” she scoffed. “This isn’t the end for me either, you know. Go ahead, arrest me. I’ll get out in no time, and I’ll be back. You can’t stop us, agent. Your little FBI is trying so hard to keep my boss out of American lands, but you’ve already lost. And for the record, my name isn’t _Tanya_. My name is Talia.”

Jason scowled deeper. “Fine,” he snapped. “I don’t care what you plan on doing right now. Where is _Drake_?”

“Oh, he’s down at the docks probably,” she said with a flippant wave of her hand, rather gracefully considering she had her hands tied behind her back. “For delivery. But, don’t bother chasing, agent,” she laughed. “I already said you’re too late.”

“What the fuck do you mean by that?”

“The ship should be leaving the docks right now. And you’re not there to stop it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ugh, I'm honestly so tired this week. I kid you not, I was reading JayDick stuff while taking a break from homework and studying, and I made it though one of my own stories before I realized I wrote it. I honestly had no recollection of writing it aside from a slight sense of déjà vu. But it's on my account, and I have the drafts and everything. It took me a while to remember.
> 
> I also noticed that a ridiculous amount of my chapters have puns as titles. No idea how I came up with them since I can't make jokes for the life of me. I seriously can't be funny, it's funny how un-funny I can be sometimes ugh. Just why.
> 
> Oh, I had a quick question: There's another JayTim fic I want to write, a Teacher/Student AU, would anyone be interested? And I probably won't get to it until next year since I've got so many things to write, but it's just an idea I'm throwing out there. Let me know and I'll put more thought into it.
> 
> Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed, we're almost done! <3


	10. Swan Dive

"Jason, Jason!" Artemis called as Jason spun on his heels and started stalking towards the car. "Agent Todd! Stop for a minute and think this through!" 

"Every minute we're wasting could be crucial, Agent Grace," Jason snapped, opening the door to his car. "I'm going to the docks," he said.  

"And what?" Artemis snapped. "Yell, 'please, has anyone seen a boat?' over and over again until someone points you in the right direction?" 

Jason gave Artemis a withering glare. "I'm not some clownfish if that's what you're insinuating," he said, buckling himself into the car. He shut the door and rolled the window down. "I'm a trained professional." He started the car and roared away, turning the corner sharply before Artemis she could get another word in.  

"Some stupid fucking professional you are!" she yelled after him, coughing at the smell of burnt rubber. 

Jason reached the dock in record time, infinitely glad that they had picked a building that was not horribly far from the docks. He skid to a stop at the railings, looking out over the ocean. There were a variety of fishing boats, sailboats, an incoming cruise ship, and farther out at sea, a cargo ship.  

"Hey, hey!" he called down to two men working on their sailboat nearby. "Where do the large cargo ships leave?" 

The men looked at each other. Then, one of them pointed down towards the other end of the docks. "O'er there, but you'd be crazy to try to chase down a cargo ship, mate." 

Jason gave him a hard glare. "Watch me," he growled. He started off running again. He ran down the large concrete ramps to where a crew was currently loading up another cargo ship. He grabbed one of the men, who was carrying two boxes, by the shoulder roughly. He quickly flashed his badge.  

"Hey, can you tell me where that ship is heading?" he asked, nodding over at the cargo ship that was slowly becoming a black dot on the ocean.  

The man looked slightly bewildered, taking in Jason's disheveled appearance. "Erm, I'm not too sure, man. Somewhere in Spain, fer sure." 

Jason cursed loudly. Several other crew members turned to look at him. Suddenly, he was struck with an idea. "Do you have a smaller, faster boat so that I can catch up with that ship?" 

The man shrugged, trying to regain control of his large boxes. "There are tugboats over there, but you need special clearance to use them, and-" 

Jason took off towards the tugboats before the man finished.  

"Hey, mister!" the man shouted. "You can't-" 

Jason waved his badge in the air again. "If there are any problems, just take it up with my boss!" He jumped into the nearest tugboat, looking dubiously at the simple controls. He huffed. "Can't be that hard," he muttered. He turned the key that was in the ignition, and the little tugboat rumbled to life.  

Jason reached over and undid the rope anchoring the tugboat to the docks. He tossed it at the men running towards him. "I'll return it soon," he called as he turned the boat around rapidly, spraying a fan of smelly ocean water into their faces. Jason pulled the boat out to sea, intent on chasing the large boat down. 

The distance between the tugboat and the cargo ship slowly decreased. The bright midday sun beat down relentlessly on Jason's neck, and he had to remove his black suit jacket and roll up the sleeves of his button up. He undid his tie and tossed it into the pile with his jacket. Jason kept his eyes trained on the large ship that was slowly making its way away from land and out into sea. 

The shore was slowly disappearing from sight.  

Finally, Jason was alongside the ship. He spotted a short three rung ladder on the side, but it was way too short for him to reach it if he were to jump into the water. It would be too short if he jumped onto it while standing on the boat too. 

But, he might be able to reach it if he stood on the little cover of the tugboat and jumped.  

Jason only gave it a second's thought before he started manuvering the tugboat as close to the ship as he could. Then, he started climbing. The sun-faded red plastic of the tugboat burned his palms, but he kept climbing. He stood shakily on the top, looking over at the ladder. He would have to jump about four feet out and up about a foot to grab the lowest rung. 

Jason took a deep breath, closed his eyes for a moment, then jumped.  

His heart skipped a beat in the couple seconds that he was airborne. He hands wrapped around the hot, rusted lower rung, and his body crashed into the side of the ship. Jason's heart pounded wildly and he looked back at the tugboat for a moment. Then, he pulled himself up, the button up making the movement awkward and uncomfortable.  

He climbed onto the narrow deck of the cargo ship and looked around.  

Now that he was on the ship, Jason realized that he had no plan. In fact, he had no plan, no backup, and no way off. In other words, if anything went wrong in his not yet developed plan, he would be screwed.  

Jason scanned the deck. Where could they be hiding Tim on this ship? Jason frowned. They could put Tim in the hold, but they would be risking him in getting heat stroke and dying, or freezing to death. As of far, they had no shown any signs of wanting Tim dead, but that could change easily.  

Jason wished he had his team then. With a team, he could send people to search various places at once, but now, he would have to cover as much of this ship as possible by himself in a ridiculously short amount of time, or he and Tim would be stuck out here and sent to Spain. 

Jason heard voices approaching and so he quickly ducked behind some tall containers. 

"...don't understand why there has to be so many guards on this ship," the first voice groaned.  

"Right? It's not like that brat can escape anytime soon. And even if he does, he'll have to stay on the ship," the second agreed.  

"There aren't that many guards," a third voice grunted. "And they mostly hang out by the control room anyway. We won't run into them much." 

"Yeah, I guess," the first voice sighed. "But honestly..." their voices trailed off as they moved away from Jason again. But unbeknowest to them, Jason just got the information he needed.  

The control room.  

That should be near the front of the ship, right? 

Jason took off towards the head of the ship, ducking into the first door he found. After that, it was a game of cat and mouse, with the cats not knowing that there was a mouse on board with them.  

Jason constantly had to duck behind doors to avoid guards, who all carried large rifles. 

It took him forever to find the control room, in Jason's opinion. Two burly guards stood outside, occasionally adjusting their guns. Jason cursed silently. He spotted a fire extinguisher on the wall. Carefully, Jason took out the knife from his belt and cut the zipties holding the tool to the wall. He then turned it upside down. 

Taking a deep breath, Jason crept forward and then burst around the corner, immediatley smacking the extinguisher into the head of one of the men. He crumpled immediately.  

The other guard cursed loudly and raised his rifle. He fired once, and Jason threw the extinguisher at his knees. The man was brought to the ground, and Jason also knocked him out.  

Waiting a few seconds to see if any of the other guards heard the shot and came running, Jason then reached forward and opened the door of the control room. He stepped inside quietly, surprised to hear muffled crying coming from the chair in front of the control panel. 

"Mr. Drake?" Jason gasped, shutting the door quietly behind him. A loud whimper answered him from the chair by the controls.  

Jason hurried over and spun the chair around. Tim sat in the chair with his hands tied behind him and he was tied to the back and the legs of the chair. He was gagged, but not blindfolded. His eyes were wet with tears.  

"Ah, shit," Jason said quietly, kneeling in front of Tim and immediatly started working on this bonds. He cut through the rope, which had cut into Tim's pale skin and left agitated red marks. He then cut the bonds around Tim's chest and hands. Finally, Jason removed the gag.  

Tim let out a sob and launched himself at Jason, hugging him tightly. "Ja- Mr. Todd! I didn't- I didn't think you'd come. I'm so glad to- to see you." 

"Okay, okay," Jason said soothingly. "I'm getting you off this ship, okay? Shh... just stay with me." 

He removed the gun on his hip and shoved it into Tim's shaking hands. "You know how to shoot a gun?" 

Tim shook his head. 

"Figure it out and hope you don't need to," Jason said quickly. He jerked the door open. "C'mon, we have to go before someone finds that a couple guards are missing. Stay close." He glanced up and down the hall before starting up the hallway, the same way he came.  

Jason glanced behind him repeatedly to make sure Tim was still following and no guards had sneaked up on them.  

However, their luck did not last. Jason turned the corner and nearly ran face first into a guard. Jason struck, bringing the butt of his gun down on top of the man's head before the guard had a chance to raise his ridiculously large rifle. Tim squeaked and grabbed a fistful of Jason's shirt, holding him back.  

"Mr. Drake," Jason said dryly. "I can't protect you if you're holding onto me like a koala." 

"Sorry," Tim said, forcing his fingers to let go.  

They make their way back onto the deck without running into any other guards, thankfully. Jason peered over the edge. The tugboat was really far away now, floating calmly on the water's surface, maybe half a mile away. They would have to swim.  

At the same time, someone at the other end of the ship shouted at them. "Hey! You- HEY!" They started running over. A couple guards appeared and started bolting towards them as well, raising their rifles.  

"Alright, Mr. Drake," Jason said quickly. "Drop the gun. Grab onto me." 

"What?!" Tim squeaked. "We're- We're not going to jump are we?" 

"Yes, we're going to jump, now grab the fuck onto me, or we'll both be shot at in less than ten seconds," Jason snapped.  

Tim dropped the gun without thinking and looped his arms around Jason's neck. Jason pulled Tim onto his back and stepped out over the railing.  

"Ready?" Jason breathed, keeping an eye on the quickly approaching guards out of the corner of his eye. "Hang on." 

Tim's grip tightened a tad bit, and Jason jumped. He stretched his arms out on either side of him, closing his eyes against the salty spray of the sea.  

It was freefall for a blessed five seconds, and Jason finished his dive perfectly. They slipped into the water without a sound and hardly a ripple. At the same time they disappeared underwater, a few bullets rained down around them as well. Jason swam them up the surface as well, gasping and hearing Tim cough and hack as he hung onto Jason the best he could.  

"-not to shoot at them!" one of the guards shouted.  

"And now they're getting away, genius!"  

"He wants 'em alive, moron! Tell them to turn the ship around!"  

"What?! You can't turn the ship around! We're already a day late!" 

"Our most important delivery is getting away! Better late than empty-handed!" 

Jason ignored them and strugged to keep them both up above water.  

"Mr.- Mr. Drake!" Jason gasped. "Can't you swim?" 

"Oh! Oh, sorry!" Tim said, quickly letting go. "I can- I can swim, yeah." He was shivering already.  

"Damn," Jason said under his breath, glaring at Tim. Tim's eyes were wide, and his hair dripping with water. "You're a fucking idiot," Jason said.  

"Sorry," Tim said, looking away.  

Jason rolled his eyes. "Stop fucking apologizing." He glanced up at the aruging guards again. "Let's get to the tugboat before they decide to start shooting again." He started swimming away, and Tim followed.  

Well, Tim tried to follow.  

Swimming half a mile is not an easy feat for an actor and part time model. Tim did not do strenuous work-outs. He ran, he did yoga, situps, pushups, sometimes lifted some weights. Tim was just not meant to be built like Jason was. 

Jason had to stop and wait for Tim to catch his breath several times. Jason had to dive under and pull Tim back out of the water a couple times. Jason had to tread water while Tim hung onto him and tried to breathe properly once.  

But they finally made it back to the tugboat. Tim was a shivering mess, curling up on the floor and shivered while Jason dragged himself up to the controls. 

Then, Jason turned around and looked down at Tim. He sighed and dropped back down onto the deck, draping his discarded jacket over Tim. 

Jason then turned the tugboat around again, driving them back to shore.  

~ 

"Jason!" Artemis called from the dock as they slowly pulled in. Jason jumped down from the controls. Jason gave her a sheepish wave.  

Her expression was murderous. The entire dock had been closed off, and police were trying their best to keep back a horde of reporters. A helicopter was circling the area as well. Jason also noticed that there was an ambulence parked on the dock.  

"Toss me that rope, will you?" Jason said, nodding at the rope by Artemis' feet. She threw him the rope and a murderous glance. Jason tied to the rope to the tugboat. 

"You got him?" Artemis asked, sounding rather displeased. 

"Yeah," Jason said, and he could not help grinning. 

Artemis glared at him for another couple seconds. "You're a fucking idiot, Todd." 

Jason just laugh and shook his wet hair at her. Then, he went over and crouched down by Tim. "Hey, Mr. Drake," he said. "We're going to get you to the hospital, okay?" 

"Are you coming?" Tim asked, his voice muffled from under Jason's jacket. He only peeked out, so his eyes stared up at Jason wide and innocent looking.  

Jason looked over at Artemis, who kept sneaking him glares. "I don't think so. But I'll visit, promise," he said, giving Tim a small smile. He held out his hand. "So, c'mon." 

Tim stared at his hand, then back up at Jason. Then, he reached out and grabbed Jason's hand. He let Jason pull him up and help him out of the boat. Immediately, Tim was guided away from Jason by the paramedics.  

Tim made a reluctant whimpering noise, his grip on Jason's hand tightening for a moment before it broke. Tim kept glancing over his shoulder to look at Jason as he was led to the ambulence to be thoroughly checked by the paramedics.  

Artemis walked over to Jason with a spare set of clothes. "Go get changed," she ordered. "You smell like dead fish." 

"We're next to the ocean, Agent," Jason said sarcastically. "Or maybe it's just your sour attitude you're smelling." 

Artemis frowned harder.  

Jason gave her a smile before turning to go find somewhere to change out of his cold, wet clothes. Suddenly, he saw that Tim broke away from the paramedics and started running back towards Jason.  

He ran straight into Jason, sending both of them stumbling, but Jason managed not to fall. He grabbed Tim's arms to hold them steady.  

Tim had his hands fisted in Jason's wet shirt. He stared up at Jason for a second before pushing himself up on his tip-toes and pressing a kiss to Jason's cheek.  

"Thanks," he said quietly with a small smile. "You... You saved me," he said with a cheeky smile.  

Jason felt himself get warm. 

Tim stepped back, breaking out of Jason's grip. He took another step back, still smiling, his cheeks a rosy red. "Um, see you... Mr. Todd." Tim flashed him one final smile and ran back towards the ambulance.  

Artemis watched and snorted. “Wipe that stupid smile off your face, Agent Todd. You’re looking like a dazed fangirl.” 

Jason’s smile, which he did  _not_ know was on his face, and he did  _not_ look like a dazed fangirl  _at all_ , warped into a scowl. “Fuck you, Grace.” 

Artemis smirked. “I wouldn’t count on it, especially since you just made gay heart eyes at Drake.” 

Jason would have thrown his change of clothes at Artemis if he had not needed them. 

He was  _not_ making heart eyes at Tim, that insufferable, manipulative, confusingly charming idiot. 

Not at all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay! Climax of the story! Just 2 more chapters of resolution to go! Hope you enjoyed! <3


	11. Jay(son), Gray(son), and the Bouquet

Jason took a deep breath before walking into the hospital, passing the bouquet of flowers from one hand to another.

He was immediately met with arguing.

“-I’m not allowed to see him?” came an somewhat familiar voice.

“Please, mister, keep your voice down,” a nurse said, trying to calm a rather enraged man down.

“Hey,” Jason said, moving forward quickly. “What’s going on here?”

The nurse gave him a tight smile. “Sorry for the disruption, sir,” she said quickly.

The man turned to look at Jason, and his eyes widened and a huge smile broke out onto his face. “Jason!”

“Dick?” Jason asked, eyebrows raising. Then, he nodded slowly. “You’re… here to see Tim.”

Dick nodded enthusiastically. “I am. Are you here to see him too?” he asked, wiggling his eyebrows.

Jason ignored the question, turning back to the nurse. “What’s the problem here?”

“She won’t let me go see Tim,” Dick complained. “Apparently I’m not registered as his brother for some reason. Probably his father’s fault, but now I’m not allowed to see him.”

Jason frowned.

The nurse said quickly, “Sir, only immediate family members are allowed to see him at the moment. And they must be accompanied by an FBI agent. It’s for Mr. Drake’s protection.”

Jason reached into his pocket and flashed his badge to the nurse. “I’ll go with him,” Jason said.

“But-”

“Thank you, miss,” Jason said, flashing her smile. He grabbed Dick’s wrist and pulled him past her. Once they got through the doors into the wards, he let him go.

Dick gave a low whistle. “You always abuse your powers like that?” he asked.

“That’s not _abusing_ my powers,” Jason said.

Dick laughed. “Right. So, you didn’t answer my question. Those for Timmy?” he asked, nodding at the bouquet.

Jason blushed, shifting the flowers into his other hand and lowering them out of Dick’s sight.

Dick snickered. “I’m not judging,” he claimed. “Just treat him well. That’s all I ask of you. Otherwise, the FBI are going to be having some trouble with the CIA.”

Jason rolled his eyes, coming up to the door of Tim’s room. He entered the code for Dick.

“You go ahead,” he said. “I’ll go once you come out.”

Dick flashed him another smile. “Thanks, Jay,” he said. “You’re awesome.” He gave Jason a wink before pushing the door open. As the door closed, Jason heard a loud, enthusiastic, “Timbo!”

He smiled a bit and leaned against the wall of the hall, playing with the flowers in his hands again. His palms were a bit sweaty, and Jason had no idea why he was so nervous. He took a couple more deep breaths.

Dick only spent ten minutes inside. He gave Jason another wink when he came out. “Timmy kicked me out,” he explained. “He wanted to see you more.”

Jason’s eyes widened.

Dick burst out laughing. “Man, you’re whipped.” He patted Jason’s shoulder as he walked past. “Don’t fuck it up,” he called to Jason. “Later!”

Jason slowly opened the door to the room, his heart beating nervously.

“Mr. Todd!” Tim said cheerfully, not at all worried about his raspy voice, due to the nasal tube he was wearing.

“Hey,” Jason said slowly.

Tim’s eyes landed on the flowers, and he smiled wider. “Do those flowers come with a kiss?” he asked shamelessly.

Jason rolled his eyes, but quickly dipped forward and pressed a kiss to Tim’s lips. Tim let out a pleasantly surprised sound. Jason pulled back with a small smile. “You know,” he said. “I might be a _little_ bit gay.”

Tim beamed. “Then can I have another kiss?”

“No,” Jason said firmly. “You taste like hospital food.” He put the flowers into the empty vase on the side table. “How’re you feeling?”

“Like shit,” Tim said casually. “But a little less like shit now that you’re here. It’s been so boring around here, Mr. Todd,” Tim complained. “No one will talk to me!”

Jason laughed softly. “I’ll try to visit more.”

Tim smiled. “Hey, I really wanted to thank you,” he said. “For everything. And I’m sorry for being such a brat.”

“Yeah, you were a brat,” Jason snorted.

Tim did not even pretend to be offended. He just offered Jason a sad smile and looks down at his hands.

“But I forgive you for it,” Jason finished softly.

“I don’t know how to make people like me,” Tim admitted quietly. “So I always just pretend to be happy, and even then, no one seems to actually like _me_ that way either.”

Jason is silent for a while after that confession. He did not know what to say. So he just reached into his other pocket and pulled out a well creased piece of paper. He handed it to Tim, who took it with a question in his eyes.

He unfolded it slowly.

It was the photo of the two of them.

Jason leaned over and pressed a kiss to Tim’s forehead, lingering for a couple seconds. “I’ll be back soon,” he promised.

The next day, when Jason went to visit Tim, Tim had some good news.

“I’m getting out tomorrow!” he said happily. Jason smiled, his eyes flickering to the picture of them, sitting next to the vase of flowers.

“That’s great,” Jason said sincerely. “What are you planning on doing after you’re released?”

“I think I’m going to stay with Dick for a while,” Tim said excitedly. “Then, I have to get back to work,” he said with a small laugh. “I’ve been away long enough.”

“Is it safe for you to do that so soon?” Jason asked with a small wince. “The drug lord still might be after you, even angrier than before now that you got away twice.”

“Dick will watch over me until I get a new bodyguard, I guess,” Tim said with a nonchalant shrug.

Jason frowned automatically. He did not like that idea.

Tim noticed, and he laughed. “Mr. Todd, you _have_ a job, and you didn’t like being my bodyguard, remember?”

Jason wanted to say that it was not true, but it kind of was. And Tim knew it.

“Sorry,” Jason said in a low voice, looking down a bit.

“It’s fine,” Tim assured. They lapsed into silence.

Then, Jason asked, “Would you rather stay with me?” He blurted it out before it even processed completely in his own brain.

Tim’s eyebrows slowly started rising.

Jason blushed. “It’s just- It’s just that my apartment is closer to where you work than Dick’s house and…” he trailed off.

Tim laughed awkwardly. “I don’t want to bother you all day.”

“You don’t-” Jason cursed quietly under his breath, running a hand through his hair before looking up and looking Tim in the eyes. “You don’t bother me. Not anymore at least. I-” he laughed sharply. “In case you didn’t notice, Tim, I like you.”

They were both blushing horribly now. Jason straightened and cleared his throat, unable to maintain eye contact any longer.

“I’m serious, so… please think about it,” Jason said before making swift exit, not looking back to see what Tim’s expression looked like.

~

“Er, Boss?” Jason asked, knocking gently on the door.

“Come in,” came a gruff response. Jason pushed the door open and entered the office.

He sat down at the single chair in front of the large oak desk, in front of his boss.

The Boss turned away from his computer and looked at Jason, pinning him with a glare. He folded his hands and stared directly at Jason for an uncomfortably long time.

“I called you in to talk,” the Boss said, his voice much more gentle than before.

“Okay… what about?” Jason asked, refusing to meet his eyes. He glanced all over the Boss’ desk. Pens, papers, a chocolate bar. There were certificates and degrees framed on the walls behind them as well as a couple crude crayon drawings, obviously done but a kid.

The Boss leaned back in his seat and pinched the bridge of his nose. “I wanted to apologize,” he said. “About Drake. I didn’t believe you.”

“Oh, that?” Jason said weakly. “That’s nothing. You were being careful.”

“No, I’m not sorry about continuously doubting him,” the Boss snapped.

“Oh,” Jason said. “Then what, Boss?”

The Boss sighed and leaned forward again. “Call me Bruce, please. We’re just going to talk here.”

“Okay.”

It took a long time for the Boss, Bruce, to speak again. “Drake’s manager…” he said slowly. “Tanya.”

“She was the actual ambassador for the drug lord,” Jason said.

“Yes, I know,” Bruce said. “And if I had been a bit more diligent, I would’ve known it was Talia.”

“You- You _know_ her?” Jason asked.

Bruce snorted. “Know her is a bit of an overstatement,” he said. “But we’ve met a couple times, yes.”

“What? Then- D’you know she was working for the Spanish drug lord?”

“I had my suspicions,” Bruce said. He sighed heavily. “Many years ago, I met her at a bar. She- She drugged my drink.”

“Oh my god,” Jason gasped. “You’re not going to tell me your rape story, are you?”

Bruce gave him a sharp glare. “ _No_ ,” he said. “But in my intoxicated state, apparently…” he trailed off. “Anyway, she came back five years later, and I have no idea how she found me or anything, and she shoves this kid into my arms, saying it’s my son.”

“Holy shit,” Jason said.

“I did a paternity test, and he was my son. I did a bit of research on the woman, Talia. I traced her all the way back to the Spanish drug lord, who was producing the drug that Talia used to spike my drink. Back then, it was only a prototype version.” Bruce huffed loudly. “I didn’t want her to know that I was looking for her, so I didn’t tell anyone.”

“So- So Tanya- er, Talia, whatever, Tim’s fake _manager_ , who is currently in the prison down the street, is your _baby mamma_?”

Bruce pulled a face. “Not in so many words, but yes.”

Jason flopped back into his seat. “Fuck,” he swore loudly, staring at Bruce with wide eyes. “ _Fuck_ , man.”

“Is that all you’re going to say?” Bruce asked monotonously.

Jason thought about it, picking his words wisely.

“You could have made millions by making your life story into a movie, but instead you choose to stalk your rapist.” Jason shook his head. “Your priorities are _fucked_.”

Bruce frowned at him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One more chapter and we're done!
> 
> Ahhh, I'm so excited about this story, even though it's ending. This is my first JayTim fic, and I love, love, love JayTim, but I've never had a chance to write it until now. Ugh, I just love their dynamic. I have the entire rest of the year planned and none of the fics are specifically JayTim, so the few ideas I do have must be pushed to next year. 
> 
> But if y'all are still around then and want to read it (I'm thinking a teacher/student + undercover AU, I love undercover AUs, ugh), I will definitely make time to write it. 
> 
> Thanks so much for reading this! Love you all! <3


	12. Jason and Tim

Two days later, Jason was tidying up his living room when the doorbell rang.

Jason answered the door, and his eyes widened with surprise.

“Tim,” he said.

Tim smiled shyly up at him. “Hi,” Tim said softly. “So, um, can I come in a moment?”

“Yeah, sure,” Jason said slowly. “What- What are you doing here? D’you leave something?”

“No, no,” Tim said. “I didn’t.”

Jason waited for Tim to keep talking, but he did not.

“So, how have you been since you got out of the hospital?” Jason asked to fill the silence.

“Good, yeah. I’ve been good,” Tim said. He was still staring down at the ground, at the walls, at everything but Jason.

“That’s… good,” Jason said.

“Yeah.”

Another awkward pause. Tim took a deep breath. “Were you serious?” he asked. “About before?”

“Before?”

“When you asked… if I wanted to… you know, stay with you,” Tim said, still not looking directly at Jason.

Jason blinked twice. “Uh, yeah. I was serious.”

“Then… were you serious about liking me?” Tim asked tentatively.

“Yes, I was serious about that too.”

Tim is silent for a while. Finally, he said, “I’d like to stay with you for the remainder of the time here, if- if that option's still open.” He finally glanced up at Jason.

Jason could not help but smile. “Yeah. That’d be- That’d be great,” he said, barely able to contain his excitement.

Tim laughed a little. His eyes were sparkling happily. He stepped forward and took Jason’s face into his hands and kissed him. Jason dropped the book he had been holding and put his arms around Tim’s waist, pulling him flush to Jason’s chest.

Suddenly, a loud throat clearing interrupted them.

Dick stood it the open doorway, smirking.

Tim quickly stepped backwards. “Ah, sorry!” he said, turning red. “Dick insisted on coming with me just in case you rejected me,” Tim said sheepishly. “Then, he said, and I quote, ‘I’d be the first to kick his ass and rip off his balls’,” he said, grinning weakly.

“Haha, I didn’t say that, Timbo!” Dick said with an embarrassed laugh.

Jason gave Dick a disturbed look. Tim quickly waved Dick out of sight. “Just ignore him,” Tim said. “I, um, I’ll just get some of my things…”

“Yeah, okay,” Jason said, smiling again.

Dick popped his head back in. “Just so you know,” Dick said, directing his words at Tim, but glancing at Jason. “I’m mad at you now because you ruined any chance I ever had with Jay.”

Tim pushed him out of the door again. Jason heard Dick’s faint protest. “I’ll be back soon,” Tim said, still rather red. “Without him.”

Dick popped his head through one last time. “ _But_ ,” he added, looking directly at Jason and wiggling his eyebrows lewdly. “He did increase our chances of hate sex.”

“Dick!” Tim yelled, reaching over to smack him.

Dick gave Jason a wink and dodged the fist, and his laughter could be heard as he darted down the hall again.

Tim huffed. “Sorry again,” he said. “I’m going to go get my stuff right now.”

Jason laughed. “Yeah, okay. I’ll wait for you here.”

Tim just smiled at him for a few moments. Then, he leaned up and gave Jason another kiss, slower this time.

Then, he turned and started out of the door. A second after he disappeared out of sight, Tim popped his head back in.

He gave Jason a wink.

“See ya later, Jay.”

Jason could not stop smiling after Tim left. He picked his book back up and hugged it to his chest, Tim’s words playing in his head over and over again.

_“…Jay.”_

Jason could get used to this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THE END
> 
> I know this seems like I could continue it, but I won't. I have so many other fics planned I can't have another impromptu sequel like I did with my Primordials AU. So, sorry. It could have gotten really intense, since I foreshadowed quite a bit of things that could happen, but I also think I would lose interest in writing the sequel, so I'm sorry, but I won't.
> 
> Thanks for reading though! <3


End file.
